Mutual appreciation society in Milan

AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti and his Celtic FC counterpart Gordon Strachan were full of mutual respect after the UEFA Champions League holders' 1-0 home victory sent them into the first knockout round as Group D winners, while the Scottish champions also progressed for the second successive season thanks to FC Shakhtar Donetsk's home defeat by SL Benfica. There was particular reason to celebrate for goalscorer Filippo Inzaghi, whose 70th-minute strike was his 63rd in UEFA club competition, surpassing Gerd Müller's previous record.

Carlo Ancelotti, Milan coach
It was difficult to play any differently at the beginning of the game because a draw was a good result for both sides. Then we played with a better tempo and more pace in the second half and our victory was fully deserved. As against Juventus in Serie A [last Saturday] we played better in the second half, meaning we are in good physical condition. In football, not everything can be explained and I can't explain why we're not winning at home in Serie A while we have won three out of three in Europe. Inzaghi really cared about scoring and beating this record. He prepared very well for this game, as usual, and finally managed to reach his goal. He makes the difference with the way he moves inside the penalty area, with or without the ball. With him on the pitch every ball becomes dangerous. Celtic are a very well-organised team, very strong physically and good in the air. But most of all, they have great supporters who can help them to earn more good results in the competition

Gordon Strachan, Celtic manager
I'm still trying to analyse this game but now it is better to go to celebrate in the hotel, even if there are some negative aspects we have to work on in the future. It was a tough group and Shakhtar were favourites after winning their first two games, considering Milan are an incredible club. We kept Milan in check for a good part of the game, then they scored and I was a bit scared until I saw the thumbs-up from people listening to the final result of the other game. The next level will be to play well abroad as we are already a force at home. If you keep asking me questions I will continue to find excuses for our defeat. It was a strange match, there was nothing going on for a long time and then, after Milan's goal, the game changed to an end-to-end one. I played in England for a long time so I would like to try something different. I'd rather go somewhere else in the first knockout round.