Villarreal bask in comfortable victory

• Villarreal trio Javier Espinosa, Gerard Moreno and Cani thrilled with 4-0 defeat of Apollon
• Moreno delighted to lead Group A and paid tribute to bereaved coach Marcelino
• Apollon's Gastón Sangoy and Hugo López looking forward after loss
• Next games: Villarreal v Zürich, Mönchengladbach v Apollon (23 October)

Javier Espinosa, Villarreal midfielder
We knew it was important to win this game to consolidate our position in our group and that is what we did. The draw in the other match [FC Zürich 1-1 VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach] meant we went top. We knew it was an important game and we had to be strong from the start to make the most of our matchday one draw in Germany. I am very happy with my performance and the team's as well.

I think we've struck a blow in the table today, but we have a long way to go in both the Spanish Liga and European competition and we must keep looking forward.

It is very nice to play in the UEFA Europa League for this club – they deserve it and for them is a great adventure. The coach has a lot of faith in me, but we must continue to grow as a team – we have to take it match by match

Gerard Moreno, Villarreal forward
It is a night to enjoy. The match went as we wanted. I'm happy to win and get the three points, and to finish the matchday as leaders. I'm happy to participate and help the team in any way I can. Whenever I play I will try to do my best to help and be available for my team-mates and the coach. Getting six more points at home would be ideal if we want to be top of our group.

The team wanted to dedicate the victory to our coach [Marcelino, whose father passed away on Thursday]. These are not easy times for him and his family, so I hope this victory has given him a little joy.

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Cani, Villarreal midfielder
We are very happy. Also, the draw between Borussia Mönchengladbach and Zürich is good for us. Now we are top of our group, so we have started this group stage very well.

The most difficult match of the group was the previous match in Germany and that draw gave us a good feeling. Tonight we won 4-0 – we're top. We have a good squad. We are making changes in the lineup in every game and the team keep playing well. We are first in Group A and have a small advantage that gives us confidence.

Gastón Sangoy, Apollon forward
We were not expecting such a harsh result as today's, but Villarreal are a team that we knew would be very difficult. We saw that on the pitch. We did not expect such a big margin, but we have to keep looking forward. A lot can still happen in this group.

Their early goal was crucial. We gave them a lot of space. We needed to be very tight in defence and we never made them feel uncomfortable. We hope this will be a lesson for the future.

We now have an opportunity in our next game in Germany, which will be very hard, but we will try to get some points to continue fighting for qualification and our fans at home will help us to do our best and win games. I am very happy to return to Spain and see familiar faces. It's always a pleasure to return to Spain.

Hugo López, Apollon forward
We knew we were coming to a very difficult stadium. They had a great game and we had the misfortune that they scored in the beginning of the first half and early in the second half. That killed us.

Now we go to Germany with the hope of achieving something significant there. In the second half of our fixture programme we have two home games where we have to get the points. Certainly, in our stadium, we feel strong and we have to go all out.