Contenders capitalise at home
The UEFA Cup quarter-finals are taking shape after five Round of 16
ties were completed last night, with AZ Alkmaar and Newcastle
United FC having confirmed their progress on Wednesday. Five of the
teams who had home advantage in the second legs reached the last
eight, with the tie between Villarreal CF and FC Steaua Bucuresti
concluding on Sunday. uefa.com rounds up the reaction.
Sporting Clube de Portugal 1-0 Middlesbrough FC (agg: 4-2)We played
well, and I think we were the only side that wanted to win it. It
was a deserved victory, we didn't give space to opponents that
hardly took any offensive risks during the entire 90 minutes, and
when they tried to attack we scored. I think we played a very
intelligent match. We are the only Portuguese team [left] in the
UEFA competitions, it's an honour and also a big responsibility.
José Peseiro, Sporting coach
It was a magnificent performance by the players. Yes, it was
frustrating, we had three great chances to grab that vital first
goal which would have been so important, but we didn't deserve to
concede right at the end. Playing in Europe has been a fantastic
experience for everyone at the club, we've done really well and,
although it's disappointing to go out, we want more next year.
Steve McClaren, Middlesbrough manager
Parma 1-0 Sevilla FC (agg: 1-0)
It was a real battle. I'm very satisfied with the performance of
the team, especially in defence, because Sevilla pressured us a lot
but we didn't give them any real chances to score. It was obvious
they were attacking more than us because we scored early in the
game. When we started this UEFA Cup campaign nobody expected us to
get as far as we have, because when we started we were having
trouble in our domestic league, and so we had to divide our
energies between two competitions. Pietro Carmignani, Parma
coach
I think what we have done so far in the UEFA Cup has been a little
miracle. With our domestic troubles, to qualify for the
quarter-finals is a great thing. Giuseppe Cardone, Parma
captain
We have enjoyed the illusion of the UEFA Cup, but now we can
concentrate on the league. The game tonight was just as I had
expected, but obviously I expected a different result. We were
unlucky considering the two legs because we should have scored in
Spain and tonight we had more opportunities than Parma. But we must
accept this defeat because Parma scored from their opportunity.
Joaquín Caparrós, Sevilla coach
Real Zaragoza 2-2 FK Austria Wien (agg: 3-3, Austria win on
away goals)
We were just getting ourselves positioned on the field when the
first goal came as a knockout blow. Then, in a similar situation,
our lack of concentration let us down and we conceded another goal.
From that point on, everything was much harder and we found
ourselves with an uphill battle. But I would like to add that I
thought we reacted well and played excellently. At no point did we
let our heads drop, we showed that we are a good side and created
many chances to get back into the tie. I would like to congratulate
Austria, my players and the fans who got right behind us as we
were looking for a third goal, which unfortunately, did not come.
Víctor Muñoz, Zaragoza coach
I was very nervous. But I always believed we could win. What an
unbelievable success. Reaching the UEFA Cup quarter-final is the
biggest success for Austria Wien in the last 20 years. This team
has made history. And I'm proud that I can lead them. The red card
for [Joseph] Didulica was a shock for us. But I'm not angry with
him. We are lucky to have such a goalkeeper. Toni Polster, Austria
general manager.
AJ Auxerre 0-0 LOSC Lille Métropole (agg:
0-1)
It was tough, very tough. Especially considering that my team was
under-strength. I was forced to put inexperienced players on the
bench. We'll play our next game in wheelchairs! But at the end of
the day I'm satisfied. My players managed to give everything they
could. Guy Roux, Auxerre coach
It was a European game with huge intensity. We tried to settle to
our way of playing. But Auxerre, thanks to their individual talents
who threatened us all game long, prevented us from dominating. We
did our best. We had a few opportunities but we proved a bit naive
because we could not take them. Claude Puel, Lille coach
PFC CSKA Moskva 2-0 FK Partizan (agg: 3-1)
This match says a lot about our intention of winning the UEFA Cup.
We prepared very seriously, and I think it paid off. In the first
half we intentionally chose to play against the wind, which of
course influenced our game. In the second half, when we played with
the wind and enforced our midfield we were able to make our
advantage tell. Valeri Gazzaev, CSKA coach
I congratulate the CSKA players on their victory, and my players on
a good game. The only thing that consoles me is that we made way
for a brother country. I hope CSKA go on to win the UEFA Cup as we
would like to say that we lost to the winner of the trophy.
Vladimir Vermezovic, Partizan coach
Newcastle United FC 4-0 Olympiacos CFP (agg:
7-1)
I'm delighted with the team performance. We made a good start, got
them on the back foot and kept them there throughout. We've had a
really good night and we made them look very ordinary; I am
delighted with the attitude we showed from first minute to last.
Graeme Souness, Newcastle manager
It was one of our worst games but we faced a very strong team in
Newcastle. The first result in Piraeus was important and after we
conceded the first goal tonight we didn't have the drive to go on.
We were very tired, but Newcastle were excellent. Duan Bajevic,
Olympiacos coach
AZ Alkmaar 2-1 FC Shakhtar Donetsk (agg:
5-2)
Today we were better than in the away match; we were able to build
up more pressure up front, and also attack from deep. Our
goalkeeper [Henk] Timmer only had one save to make, while his
counterpart denied us five or six times. Before this season we
never would have expected to be in with the best eight teams in the
UEFA Cup; it is just unbelievable. Co Adriaanse, Alkmaar
coach
My congratulations to Alkmaar, they have a very good team, and
effectively sealed their qualification in Donetsk. They play very
nice football, fast and aggressive. We had more possession, but
they were more dangerous. Alkmaar are much more experienced then we
are, they are really a team. That is not true of us right now, but
I hope we will be more united next season. Mircea Lucescu, Shakhtar
coach
FC Steaua Bucuresti 0-0 Villarreal CF
For me, not conceding an away goal is more important than scoring.
Of course, it will be very difficult for us to win away from home,
but who knows; maybe, playing a very good team, we'll manage to
score the first goal of the tie and qualify. Walter Zenga, Steaua
coach
I am very satisfied with this result. We are used to scoring goals
and winning at home and that's what we are going to do on
Sunday. Also it's very important that in the second leg [Juan
Román] Riquelme, a brilliant player who can make the difference
between two teams, will return. Manuel Pellegrini, Villarreal
coach
With acknowledgements from uefa.com
