Magath grateful for Schalke fans' loyalty

FC Schalke 04 coach Felix Magath thanked the home fans in Gelsenkirchen for their patience after his side recovered from a slow start to beat SL Benfica 2-0 in UEFA Champions League Group B, but visiting coach Jorge Jesus was left "with the feeling that we could have taken points here".

Felix Magath, Schalke coach
Of course, I am very pleased. This was a very tough game. In the first half you could see that Benfica are a strong side, but in the second half we got better. We controlled the game and deserved to win. I am very pleased with the way we fought our way into the game and how we took control. The fans were very patient after we made a poor start; the team needed their support to find their way into the game. Now we have to keep doing our duty and improve our performances in the Bundesliga. Then we will see what we can do this season.

Jorge Jesus, Benfica coach
They have experienced players who always look to exploit mistakes, and that was what happened. We conceded two goals from similar situations. At half-time we felt that we could win here against a strong team. We started the second half at pace trying to create more chances to score than in the first half. When Óscar Cardozo went off [after 71 minutes] we lost a dimension. We are left with the feeling that we could have taken points here, but I still think the battle in this group is between three teams for two places.