Perrin relief as Lyon retain hope

First-half goals from Hatem Ben Arfa (2) and Kim Källström set Olympique Lyonnais on course for a 4-2 victory against VfB Stuttgart to keep their hopes of progressing from UEFA Champions League Group E alive. It was a result that Lyon coach Alain Perrin admitted he doubted until the final moments when Juninho Pernambucano sealed the win. Defeat for Stuttgart ended the German champions' European aspirations, leaving Armin Veh to bemoan defensive errors.

Alain Perrin, Lyon coach
We had to win to stay alive in the Champions League, even if a draw would have been enough to guarantee us a UEFA Cup place. We knew that the Germans would play offensively and they really were very good. I predicted that there would be a lot of goals scored because both teams play open football. I was nervous until the end of the match when Juninho scored. Now we have to do the impossible and win against [FC] Barcelona at home and hope that Rangers [FC] lose in Stuttgart. Hatem Ben Arfa didn't begin the match as well as he could, but he is a very talented player and he made the difference thanks to his talent. It's always important for a coach to have players like this in the team."

Armin Veh, Stuttgart coach
Tonight we lost because of defensive errors. We weren't good enough at the back and we made too many big errors. We had good possession and we were aggressive, especially in the second half. We pushed until the end and kept believing. I've seen a lot of positive things tonight. At home, we didn't show this quality and we could easily have claimed a draw. We haven't shown enough quality to stay in the Champions League, but we will play the last two matches to win, especially against Rangers at home."