Point tolerable for Betis and Lyon

Satisfaction tinged with disappointment was the order of the day in the Real Betis Balompié camp after their hard-fought draw with Olympique Lyonnais in the sides' opening UEFA Europa League Group I game, with both Chuli and Cedric ruing the lack "of a little bit of luck in front of goal".

Chuli, Betis striker
We've got mixed feelings because with the chances we had we felt we deserved more than a draw, but we're pleased with the way we played in our first game in this group – going toe-to-toe with a great team like Lyon. For me, someone who's played in the second and third division, playing in a competition like this is like a dream – matches like these are why you want to become a footballer. After being given the chance to start, all I could do was give my all and try and help the team win the game. We played a very good match, we were good going forward and strong at the back, the only thing missing was a bit of luck in front of goal.

Cedric, Betis winger
We're not exactly down after this game, but we do have the feeling that it's a match we could have won. The team created chances and worked hard from start to finish. From the first minute we tried to put pressure on them high up the pitch and I think we did it well: we played a pretty complete game in every way, we were just lacking that little bit of luck in front of goal.

Lyon didn't have too many chances, even though they're a team that came from the Champions League. We were really looking forward to this game and, even though we knew it'd be difficult, we went out to try and win it. It's a shame we couldn't manage that, but at least we've got off the mark with a point here at home.

Bakary Koné, Lyon defender
It was important to rediscover that team solidity, as we'd had a few matches when we'd conceded the first goal, so a 0-0 is good in that way, particularly away from home in the Europa League. It was a very pleasing performance in terms of our attitude, behaviour and fighting spirit, which was what the coach was looking for. We were maybe lacking a little something going forward, even though we've got players who can score goals, but defensively it's positive that it's our second clean sheet in a row.

Rémi Garde, Lyon coach
It definitely feels more like a point won [than two lost] tonight, because the two teams were very evenly matched. I'm very happy with my team's performance, they all worked very hard for each other and showed a lot of strength and togetherness. We had to work to contain a very good quality Betis team, so I’m very pleased with the point.

We're not looking any further ahead than the group phase. We want to make sure we get through the group first and only then we will think about how far we can go in this competition.