Dimitris Pelkas underlined the importance of his coach’s instructions:

«High temperatures were definitely a factor, especially for us who were reduced to ten. The expulsion of Miguel Vítor was a shock. We needed at least 20 minutes to realize how we should react. It wasn’t easy to encounter the way, but managed to score and increase our chances ahead of the second leg. During the interval, our coach told us we had to give it all and gave us instructions on what to do as a draw wouldn’t suffice. We did what he said, exploited open spaces and scored the winning goal. We displayed the adequate mentality and supported each other on the pitch. Had we played 11 vs 11, it would have been a different match, but this 1-0 victory is important ahead of the trip to Slovakia. I am very happy for this win and for combining it with the extension of my contract. I am just starting. Hopefully I will keep healthy and everything will go well«.

Ricardo Costa spoke about the way his team tried to break through Spartak’s defence after Vítor’s dismissal:

«Our plans for this game were different, but Vítor’s red card forced us to change them. We weren’t able to play as we wanted against a good team. Time was on our side and we made the most of it not by engaging in one-on-one attacks, but with long passes that eventually did the trick. It was very important to win 1-0. We will approach the second leg with more self-confidence. We won and also displayed our strong character. It’s important for a team to get good results and we will travel to Slovakia to record another victory and not just rest on this 1-0. Our defence tonight and combinations on the pitch were probably our strongest assets and we must build on that«.

As for Róbert Mak, he spoke about the importance of the goal scored and the refereeing decisions:

«It was important to score. The red card of Vítor was a fair decision but afterwards the referee made a series of errors that prevented us from scoring two or three goals. Hopefully we will play with 11 players throughout next week’s encounter in Slovakia. We must produce a solid display, as we did tonight, regardless of our numerical inferiority. High temperatures were definitely a problem today«.