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. JoaquÃn 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. VÃctor 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. Dušan 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
