Valencia taking it game by game

A 1-1 draw left few happy at the Mestalla, with Valencia CF ruing their failure to keep up their momentum as FC Kuban Krasnodar, who need to win, lamented the end of their UEFA Europa League campaign. Goalscorer Paco Alcácer and Jose Gayà, making his first start, at least had something to smile about and Lorenzo Melgarejo emphasised the positives for Kuban.

Paco Alcácer, Valencia forward
It is disappointing not to end the group stage with a victory as this feels like a defeat for us. Anyway, the important thing is we finished top of the group and feel good. We controlled the game and had chances to score, but were unlucky. We can do great things in the competition, but we must not get ahead of ourselves. We have to take it match by match.

When I have an opportunity to play, all I have to do is have chances and score them. We don't have any preference for the draw as all the teams are good. We don't consider ourselves as competition favorites, we are humble. We have to give our all in the UEFA Europa League.

José Gaya, Valencia defender
The ending was a real shame. I think the team has given everything, but the goal we conceded at the end of the match was unfortunate. We're happy because we finished top of the group and that was the aim. I belong to Valencia's B squad, but if the coach wants me to return to the first team, I will be happy and do my best.

It was very exciting to play. At the beginning I had a few nerves, but as the minutes passed I got rid of them and became more comfortable. The Europa League is an important tournament and we want to keep progressing.

Ángel Dealbert, Kuban defender 
Few expected us to be in the running at the end of the group stage as there were two great teams in Valencia and Swansea, and it was the first European competition that the club ever played. We tried, we had chances, but we couldn't win. If you don't score a goal you can't win and in a counterattack, Paquito [Paco Alcácer] took advantage.

Lorenzo Melgarejo, Kuban midfielder
We needed a goal to advance to the next round, it is a shame. We played a good game against tough opponents, but a draw is positive. We must look to the future. We had opportunities that were missed; had we scored some of them the game would have been different for us. We are satisfied with our performance.

Now we go back to our league and will try to do our best. We were in a tough group with two strong teams in Valencia and Swansea. Our first entry in UEFA Europa League has been very positive.