Lucescu content with Shakhtar's winning start

FC Shakhtar Donetsk coach Mircea Lucescu was relieved to get off to a winning start as his side failed to turn possession into more than a goal against FK Partizan in their Group H opener.

Mircea Lucescu, Shakhtar coach
We expected a very tough match as it's always difficult at the start of this competition. Partizan arrived with confidence and played with a real sense of belief. They were excellent at closing down space and stopping us from going forward.

It was a positive that we restricted them to creating almost no chances, but we lacked precision when finishing. We have to be more aggressive and confident in the opposing penalty box. However, what really matters is that we got all three points and started our group stage campaign with a win.

Aleksandar Stanojević, Partizan coach
Shakhtar played better and controlled the rhythm of the game throughout. They created a number of dangerous chances but their finishing wasn't great. It's a pity we couldn't score as we had two or three opportunities of our own.

Still, I congratulate my players for playing sensible football and showing tactical discipline. It was only in the last ten minutes when they failed to follow instructions, meaning we didn't play well up front.