"I decided to play him yesterday when I learned that Edu was out but I didn't tell him until this morning. It was a gamble on one side. He had worked very hard with our fitness coach and all the tests had shown that he was physically ready, but of course he had only played 70 minutes in the reserves."
"I felt that Freddie is a winner and a fighter and that would get him through the game though. He was not sure that he was ready but he actually became stronger and stronger as the game went on. It's a bonus for us because we didn't expect him to be back so quickly."
... and on the game in general:
"We made the first step. We showed great teamwork, discipline and maturity as we showed patience. It didn't always go our way but we got through that frustration without making any mistakes at the back. It was a real test, not only on the football side but also mentally."
Matthias Sammer's reaction:
"I thought Ljungberg was a metre offside for the second goal. The first goal was also a mistake on our part. It came from a throw-in which we should not have allowed.
"We had no spark but we can learn from this as we have young players who can develop. Arsenal started slowly in the Champions League in the past, and we now have to improve like them."