Camacho relief as belief pays off

SL Benfica coach José António Camacho said he "never stopped believing" in his players as they beat Celtic FC with Óscar Cardoza's late goal to join the Scottish side on three points in UEFA Champions League Group D. Celtic manager Gordon Strachan bemoaned his side's luck but is still optimistic about their chances of advancing from a section headed by AC Milan following their defeat of FC Shakhtar Donetsk.

José António Camacho, Benfica coach
The most important thing was the three points. With our enthusiasm we could always change the game. I'm happy because we won but I'm also happy about the players' commitment and bravery. We are one of those teams who have lots of shots but the ball refuses to go in. So many chances, no goals. I never stopped believing in my players, who fought hard and after so many missed chances didn't panic. Cardozo should have scored two or three goals, he was unhappy about that, but he scored one. Milan's win against Shakhtar Donetsk was good, as a draw would have been. Our result was also important because if we hadn't won the other result wouldn't have mattered.

Gordon Strachan, Celtic manager
It wasn't easy to take. I liked the effort, the determination. We had chances. Sometimes we have as many chances and pick up points. We were out of luck. I picked this eleven because of our injuries. Benfica played for a win and we had a similar match to the one Shakhtar had here, creating chances to win, but we didn't. Last season we went through with nine points and this time we could do it again after struggling at the start. The players were brave but at this level we cannot afford to lose the ball so often. Sometimes we play well and get great results, but this time that didn't happen. In the first half Benfica started slowly and I liked that but in second half they were much more dangerous.