Deschamps delight as Marseille advance

While Didier Deschamps was celebrating Olympique de Marseille fulfilling one of their "main goals of the season" by reaching the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League, FC Spartak Moskva coach Valeri Karpin could only lament a 3-0 defeat at the Luzhniki Stadion that ended the Russian side's own hopes in the competition.

Didier Deschamps, Marseille coach
It is very satisfying to be through. It was one of our main goals this season. It's important for the club and for the fans here and for those who stayed in Marseille. I'm a happy coach tonight. Thing will perhaps quieten down now. There has been a lot of pressure recently and it has not always been positive. But the players lived up to the challenge which is the most important thing. I'm happy both with the result and the style [of victory]. Now, we need a bit of luck to go further. We'll have to see who finishes first and second but we won't lack ambition.

Valeri Karpin, Spartak coach
I wouldn't agree that both our games against OM were similar. In Marseille the hosts were dominant while we defended all the time and were lucky [to win 1-0]. Today the game was even but the result was the opposite. Before the dismissal [of Welliton on 64 minutes] the lads showed character. But when Welliton was sent off I realised we couldn't save the game. Marseille's squad is of a higher class than ours. Besides, tonight we didn't have Alex or Parshivlyuk and Drinčić is out of form. Marseille were also physically better than us. We have to work, to strengthen our squad. We also perhaps lacked freshness.