Modest Alex Teixeira shares Shakhtar plaudits

Two-goal Alex Teixeira shrank away from the limelight in the aftermath of FC Shakhtar Donetsk's victory at Real Sociedad de Fútbol, passing the credit for an impressive 2-0 away win to his team-mates. The midfielder emphasised that what happened at the Anoeta is typical when one experienced, high-quality UEFA Champions League team is let off the hook. Both Rubén Pardo and La Real captain Xabi Prieto refused to take home defeat as a knockout blow. More serious was the news that Esteban Granero has suffered knee ligament damage and will now be a long-term absentee.

Alex Teixeira, Shakhtar midfielder
I want to congratulate the whole team. Every single one of us did our jobs well. We ran and ran and that work ethic was what won us such a vital Champions League victory. The manager simply asked us to ensure that we scored – that was his basic objective.

He warned us that Real would be a very good side, hard to play against, and they were. I must admit that I was impressed; they did pretty much everything except score. Now we face a difficult match against Manchester United but it's at home so we must win it.

Rubén Pardo, Real Sociedad midfielder
It feels bad beginning like this and the lads are pretty downhearted about it. But it's imperative to get ourselves back up again, immediately. These are the nights, the results that you learn from. Jagoba [Arrasate] warned us that Shakhtar would play exactly like this. That they'd know how to defend, how to hold on, but that when they broke upfield they could be very dangerous.

Really, we were comfortable throughout the match and we played well. The result really is a pain! I know I played quite well, but what does that matter when we lost? Three points were all that mattered tonight. Now it's just vital that we take points in the next two games and I'm convinced we have the right team to get ourselves out of this situation.

Xabi Prieto, Real Sociedad midfielder
In the first half I think there's no doubt we were the better side. We created chances, but lacked a bit of good fortune. The second half was much more open and when they got their breakthrough you knew that they were growing in confidence. We so much wanted to give our fans a great welcome back to the Champions League and perhaps there was just a little bit of anxiety on everyone's part.

Now there are five big games left and we have to hope that they go better than this. Right to the very last minute we had control of the ball and we were trying to make more goal chances. I honestly don't believe that the scoreline reflects the play. Now we have to recuperate the points away from home we've lost here. This isn't how it ends; this is only the beginning.