All smiles for top two

It's a fantastic result. It was important to win and finish top of the group, and it's a job very, very well done against a very good Partizan team. I'm proud of the players, who've taken us into the last 32. The most important result for me was the first one, at Egaleo [Middlesbrough won 1-0]. Szilárd Nemeth and Joseph-Désiré Job have both waited patiently, come in and taken their chances tonight, while young James Morrison also showed us what he can do. We've stamped our authority on this UEFA Cup, topping a group of this calibre and beating the teams we have. We've earned respect all around Europe and now we hope for a decent draw and a place in the last 16. We don't fear anybody, there's nothing to lose and everything's a bonus from now on. Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren

I'm disappointed. That was our last match of the first half of the season and we have lost our first game in all competitions. I don't understand my players - they probably thought that qualification for the next round was our only target. Football is a professional game and you must play every match at the highest level. You have to show the rest of the football world that you deserve to be where you are. But I cannot be too angry. I have a young team and they have learned a lesson. We have been lucky here as our defeat hasn't harmed us. But we cannot repeat this mistake in the future. Congratulations to Middlesbrough for a deserved victory. Partizan coach Vladimir Vermezovic

It was an excellent game. We did not stop pressurising Egaleo and prevented them from settling on a very quick pitch. There was a big difference between the sides, at least during this tie. It was quite tough for us to focus all our attention on this match because we had already qualified, but we rotated the team to rest several players and I took advantage by playing [defender] Juan Manuel Peña in midfield. This was his position at Real Valladolid and since we have Josico struggling with injury, he has become another option for us. Villarreal coach Manuel Luis Pellegrini

Playing in the UEFA Cup was a valuable experience. We hope to learn from our mistakes. Villarreal and Partizan were the best teams we played. Since the beginning of the group stage, we had to adjust to our commitments both in the Greek league and in the UEFA Cup, but our priority was always the league, although I hope we can compete in the UEFA Cup again next season. Egaleo coach Stéphane Demol