Portal Eurofootball.com presents comments from the coaches of teams that played in the UEFA Champions League yesterday.
"Manchester United" 3-1 "Club Brugge"
Louis van Gaal, "Manchester United": "The second leg in Belgium will not be easy, as they ('Brugge') are not an ordinary opponent. I read in the English newspapers that these matches are an easy walk for us, but that is not the case. The result is not decided yet, but thanks to the third goal, we gained more confidence."
Michel Preud'homme, "Club Brugge": "At home, we have a small chance, so it will be very difficult. If in the return leg we do not have our captain (Timmy Simons - ed. note) and center back (Brandon Mechele - ed. note), and considering all our injured players, I can't imagine how we could beat 'Manchester United'."
"Lazio" 1-0 "Bayer Leverkusen"
Stefano Pioli, "Lazio": "All matches were tough because 'Bayer' pressed aggressively and attacked quickly. We knew we could create chances for goals, but given the number of opportunities, we could have scored more than one goal. We proved that we can play at this level."
Roger Schmidt, "Bayer": "It was an intense match. We had chances to score, but we didn't. Before the home match, we will try to improve counterattacks and defense. In recent weeks, we have trained well, so we still believe in our abilities. It's only 1-0 and the most important thing is that we play at home, where we are very strong. Nothing is decided yet."
"BATE" 1-0 "Partizan"
Aleksandr Yermakovich, "BATE": "The battle is not over and both teams' chances to advance are still equal. We could have missed a goal, but our goalkeeper Sergey Chernik saved us twice. The chances created by 'Partizan' were the result of our individual mistakes. I think our current situation is neither ideal nor very bad."
Zoran Milinkovic, "Partizan": "We played well and created several opportunities. I am not complaining about the team's performance. In the first half, we had good chances to score, but the key factor that determined the result of the match was the expulsion of our player (Marko Jevtovic - ed. note). My players tried, but it was very difficult playing with ten men."
"Sporting CP" 2-1 "CSKA"
Jorge Jesus, "Sporting": "We knew that everything wouldn't be decided today, but we could fight for a better result. I am satisfied with my team, both individually and as a collective. I believe that we can score in Moscow, as we have enough ability."
Leonid Slutski, "CSKA": "Sporting" showed that they are a high-level and very professional team. Although we lost, the second leg is still ahead, which can change everything. We tried to play on counterattacks and use our chances, but it doesn't always work out as we want."
"Astana" 1-0 "APOEL"
Stanimir Stoylov, "Astana": "This is a very good result. It's a special feeling to win such important matches against a really good team, but the second leg will be even harder. This match is over, and now I want to think only about next week. 'APOEL' are still the favorites of this pairing. Playing against them in Cyprus will be very tough, as they have great support at home."
Domingos Paciencia, "APOEL": "Astana's victory does not mean they now have better chances than us. We still have the home leg to look forward to, where we will have the support of our fans. If we were to count the chances created by the teams, we would see that a draw would have been the fairest result."
