Gazzaev hails his 'heroes'

Valeriy Gazzaev, CSKA coach
I can say only one thing - my players are heroes. They have done the impossible. From the very first days in the UEFA Cup they confidently and purposefully went on to this victory. I'd like to thank and congratulate all the Russians who supported us and believed in us. This is a symbolic victory. Now every child in Russian youth football schools will know what to work for and what to dream about and will know those dreams can become true. This is a landmark victory for Russian football. It will give the nation the belief to go on and win more things at both club and international level. We found it tough in the first half but changed the midfield around in the second half and it seemed to do the trick.

Vágner Love, CSKA goalscorer
It is difficult to describe my feelings. We have come such a long way - from the UEFA Champions League, where we took third place in the group, to the UEFA Cup final, which we have just won. I never thought that I could win UEFA Cup, especially given that I am just 20 years old. We managed to cope with the pressure of the home supporters, but still we played an awful first half. We took all our chances after the break and won thanks to that.

Daniel Carvalho, CSKA playmaker
I am neither surprised nor shocked by our win. Playing in the final is only worthwhile if you win it - and I always firmly believed we could do this. At one point during the game the team realised the victory was slipping out of our hands and we could lose. And from that very moment we showed that we have a strong character and started to play the way we can.

José Peseiro, Sporting coach

Rogério, Sporting goalscorer

Ricardo, Sporting goalkeeper