Hannover's Brugge fightback cheers Cherundolo

Hannover 96 captain Steven Cherundolo praised the character of his team after they came from behind to beat Club Brugge KV 2-1 in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round of 32 tie. If the Bundesliga outfit are well placed to progress, Club Brugge defender Fredrik Stenman believes Maxime Lestienne's away goal gives them more than a fighting chance on home turf.

Steven Cherundolo, Hannover captain
Considering we were 1-0 down, we have to be satisfied with the 2-1 win. Once again, we showed excellent character and in my opinion it was only a matter of time before we scored tonight. We had numerous chances and I'm delighted we managed to turn the game around.

We're definitely in a better position going into the second leg with a win rather than a defeat. If we can repeat tonight's performance over in Bruges then we have a very good chance of progressing.

Ron-Robert Zieler, Hannover goalkeeper
We definitely deserved the win. We put in a great performance and had Brugge under wraps for long periods. Unfortunately we didn't score as many as we should have, but I think we can be happy with the 2-1 victory. I'm convinced we'll score an away goal too and that will put us in an even better position.

I'm sure there were a few jokes in the dressing room [about Jan Schlaudraff's audacious chipped penalty]. It was very classy but it's just as well for him that the ball went in, otherwise we'd be having a very different conversation right now.

Fredrik Stenman, Club Brugge defender
We said before the game that if we scored one goal here we would be satisfied. We managed that, but after the goal something happened and we weren't winning tackles. We were a little naive, making too many mistakes and allowing them too much of the ball. We have to learn from our mistakes, but the tie is still open and in the second leg anything is possible.

Joseph Akpala, Club Brugge striker
Hannover are a very good tactical team. They created good chances which they could have converted in both halves. They're a good side and certainly not one we can afford to write off, but I also believe we can put up a strong fight and possibly get a positive result at home.

We need to be more alert to their long balls and also sharper, making sure we're first in the challenge. That was one area they bettered us in and that gave them the advantage. It made them believe they could get something from the game. However, if we can work on that over the next few days, I think we'll do well. I'm looking forward to the second leg.