Zico sets Fenerbahçe benchmark

Fenerbahçe SK coach Zico felt that his side's 1-0 Group G victory against FC Internazionale Milano was an important stepping stone on their way to proving themselves in the UEFA Champions League. Deivid scored the winning goal in stunning fashion; little more than Inter deserved according to their coach Roberto Mancini.

Zico, Fenerbahçe coach
I congratulate my players on their performance. They did their best and they were fully motivated. We have a lot of respect for our opponents, and know they are a strong team, but my players tried to play football as best as they can and got three points. We want to be successful in the Champions League as the best teams play here. We will prove ourselves by the way we play football. We didn't make the most of our chances tonight, however, and may not be so lucky next time.

Roberto Mancini, Inter coach
Fenerbahçe played better than us; they deserved to win. In the first half both teams were fairly equal, but in the second Fenerbahçe played better. I was expecting a challenging game tonight, but with the supporters on their side they became even stronger. We had nine players missing tonight, so we were at a disadvantage but we still went into the game hoping not to lose. I can't blame the players that played and nine missing players is no excuse for losing three points. We have five more games to play and we are sure we will qualify. To get three points from your first game is a big advantage towards qualification. Fenerbahçe now have this advantage and I want to congratulate them on that.