Gerets still hopeful of Marseille miracle

Olympique de Marseille coach Erik Gerets said that he is hanging on to the hope of a "miracle" after his side kept their chances of a UEFA Champions League knockout campaign alive with a 3-0 Group D victory against PSV Eindhoven, while his opposite number Huub Stevens bemoaned the wasted chances.

Erik Gerets, Marseille coach
We struggled in the first half but we progressively got the better of PSV. Tactically they played well, as they did in the first leg, and 3-0 is a surprise result. For the second time in a few days we were able to see a united team and happy fans who know that my players gave their all. We are tired tonight but our morale has been boosted. We never give up, which is something we showed tonight. In the Champions League there are sometimes miracles, but not too often. We will fight until the end but first we are going to celebrate tonight's win. Now we can put behind us [the 2-0 loss] at PSV, which definitely belongs to the past. The criticisms we received for this were deserved. I'm also happy for Steve Mandanda, whose saves proved that he should be in the [France] national team. Now we have another tough game [at Grenoble Foot 38 in Ligue 1]. They are one of the surprise teams in the league and we will be 'warmly' welcomed! But my players have the opportunity to show their skills with a third straight win.

Huub Stevens, PSV coach
The 3-0 scoreline isn't a fair reflection of the match. What disappoints me the most is that we failed to convert our chances, particularly in the first half. In the second we were always under the threat of Marseille's counterattacks. Against opponents like Marseille you have to score when you get chances. However, over the two games against them we scored two goals from ten scoring opportunities, which is not enough. Now it will be tough to qualify and we will focus on our next goal, claiming third place for a place in the UEFA Cup.