Positive approach pays off for Blanc

FC Girondins de Bordeaux's second win in succession against CFR 1907 Cluj lifted them above the Romanian side in UEFA Champions League Group A, though the French club are still only third after AS Roma defeated Chelsea FC 3-1, a result bemoaned by Laurent Blanc ahead of their trip to London. CFR coach Maurizio Trombetta praised his side's heart but lost two players to injury, a blow with the visit of Roma to come in three weeks' time.

Maurizio Trombetta, CFR coach
We lost a most important home match but I'm fully satisfied with the attitude of my players throughout the entire match, until its last second. My team offered the maximum they could offer and it's normal, when the opponents are leading, to make mistakes, which we did. There were bad injuries. Tony hurt his knee and [De Sousa] his nose, maybe even a fracture, and they will miss the next match. They are very important defenders and they will be missed. Of course we were without [Eugen] Trică and Didi, but it's normal to have suspensions or injuries and they simply were not available.

We have still two matches to play, six points to be won, against Roma and Chelsea; two teams against which we secured our four points even though nobody expected that. So, why should we not hope? I can praise Bordeaux's team, not one individual, because we play in the Champions League and at this level the team impresses, not one player. We have played plenty of domestic and international matches, especially at the highest level, and it's somehow logical to make mistakes and not to be able to keep the rhythm. That's how I explain the fact we started so well and then continued with two defeats.

Laurent Blanc, Bordeaux coach
Our victory is well deserved. That's why we came here; we played positively and were well organised. That's why the result is positive, too. The key to this result is having made the players well aware of the fact that they could win again and that, in 15 days, CFR could not become a radically different team. I did not change our tactics much and CFR offered some surprises, but we managed to deal with that. That's the result of our work for the last two weeks.

Now our group is very complicated, [Roma's win against Chelsea] is not good for us. But let's focus totally on what we have to do and not on what others do. It will be a very exciting match against Chelsea, it will be more pleasant for us than for them.