Lafata pleased by Sparta's resilience

• Sparta forward David Lafata says "everything is in our hands"
• Coach Vítězslav Lavička says opposition still "showed their qualities"
• Slovan coach Jozef Chovanec says loss is "a big disappointment"
• Midfielder Igor Žofčák admits Slovan have to "stop the dark days" 
• Next games: Sparta v Slovan (6 November)

Vítězslav Lavička, Sparta Praha coach
I think Slovan showed their qualities and determination. They did not let us play our usual game in the first half. Also, maybe because of the difficult conditions, we could not play as we wanted. In the second half we improved and scored three goals. We tried to keep the players concentrating for the whole time, even in that unplanned break, because the situation was not clear as to whether the match would continue. It was not easy for the players. I am pleased with the way we responded in the second half. I was concentrating on coaching my team.

David Lafata, Sparta Praha forward
It was a good game, both teams played it at pace. We are glad to get three points. We broke down Slovan with our first goal which helped us a lot. We played against the wind as well in the first half, the pitch was also tough. Our combinations were clearly better after the break.

We chose good tactics, despite heavy winds and cold weather being big enemies today. However, we tried to concentrate and we did it. The next game with Slovan will be different, for sure. We have six points and still have a chance to advance. Everything is in our hands, playing two games at home. It's a little bit of a surprise we won 3-0. We expected a tight game but I think we were better. Slovan had just one good chance.

Jozef Chovanec, Slovan Bratislava coach
I have mixed feelings about today's game, it is a big disappointment. In the second half we were not able to keep up with the pace of the game. We have a problem at the back, we allow too much space and time for opponents. We manage to keep up with them for 45 minutes, maybe another 15, then the quality prevails and we make mistakes.

We wanted to close spaces, but if players do not understand what we ask from them, it takes some time. We did not show anything up front and made lots of individual mistakes at the back. We have learned our lesson and will work with the players to get used to our philosophy.

Igor Žofčák, Slovan Bratislava midfielder
We were a bit nervous when we conceded for the first time, but we had to fight more. Then another two Sparta goals came which was not good for us. It's time to finally lift our heads and stop the dark days. We were just speaking about that, we have to show our character on the pitch.

Now we are sad, all our heads are down, unfortunately we are making too many mistakes. Everything was about scoring the first goal and Sparta scored, not us. If we scored the first, maybe the game would have been different. I believe, when we start to score, Slovan will jump on a positive wave. Now we have to concentrate to the league.