Draw leaves Porto and Shakhtar satisfied
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Article summary
There was mutual satisfaction for the coaches and players of FC Porto and FC Shakhtar Donetsk following their 1-1 draw, with both teams already looking ahead to the last 16.
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Article body
• Porto preserved their unbeaten record with late equaliser against Shakhtar
• Julen Lopetegui pleased as Porto shackle Shakhtar attack
• Goalscorer Vincent Aboubakar describes Porto as "tough to beat"
• Mircea Lucescu: "It's a result that makes both sides happy"
• Round of 16 draw takes place in Nyon at 12.00CET on 15 December
Vincent Aboubakar, Porto forward
The goal I scored didn't get us a win, it was just for the draw, but it did mean we finished the group stage unbeaten. The ball came to me and I said to myself that I was going to shoot. I tried to hit it high because I saw the goalkeeper was off his line. What I came up with was what was required. The important thing for me has always been to keep working and to respect the decisions of the coach. It's good for my confidence to have scored.
Alex Sandro, Porto defender
Tonight's match was a match where both teams had chances. We conceded but we fought right until the end and luckily enough Aboubakar managed to score a great goal and get us the result. The Champions League is just like that: every single match is very hard. It is good to end this stage of the competition with a positive result.
We always give our all and that's exactly what we need to do in the future if we are to succeed. We must think one game at a time. Our team is becoming more united by the day and that is reflected on the pitch. We are still not thinking about our next opponent in this competition but one thing is for sure: they are going to be a very strong team with lots of quality players. We will need to be prepared.
Bernard, Shakhtar midfielder
We were very close to securing an important win but they managed to equalise right at the end. It must have been a good match to watch, especially in the second half when both teams had chances. I believe we are constantly improving.
Personally I'm happy to say that my adaptation period is now over and I'm feeling better about the way I'm playing. It's not easy to go to a new continent, a new country and a completely different kind of football but luckily I could count on the support of my fellow Brazilians at the club.
Everybody knows that the long winter break in Ukraine puts us in a tricky situation compared to the remaining clubs in the competition, but we will do our best to cope and show just how good we really are when the knockout stages arrive. We have the quality and the mentality to triumph, no question about it.
Julen Lopetegui, Porto coach
We've played well so far in this season's Champions League against very good teams and today against one of the best attacks in Europe. We played with some of our less usual players but they proved that they are as worthy as any player in the squad. We have a very young team but we have a lot of passion, will and quality. There are not many teams in Europe that have Shakhtar's quality in attack.
We just thought about today's match. I've not thought about who I want for the next round, it will just be destiny. We'll play whoever comes our way. Rúben Neves injured his knee but we are still waiting for more news. That was definitely the low point of the night.
Mircea Lucescu, Shakhtar coach
It was a great game, and a result that makes both sides happy. Porto had more possession and dominated, but we scored. The result was fair. The players that played today produced a very good game, one wouldn't even know they were not regulars. Maybe that's my fault as well; I wanted other players to go in and play too, like Fernando. He made a mistake but that can happen to anybody.