Tuchel: "We fought hard for the result"

… the match in Lisbon: "What we can clearly ascertain is that we fought hard for the result after conceding the goal, and that we were able to handle the pressure we were then put under. We were suffering at times, and had to work for each other. We fought, though, throughout the entire game to regain possession of the ball, and attempted to bring the match under our control. You could feel the energy and preparedness to work, and that we would see things through together as a team while battling for this win. We had luck at times, but overall it was deserved."

… possible future absences due to injury: "Marc Bartra and Matthias Ginter were substituted due to circulatory problems. Felix Passlack defended heroically for 90 minutes against Nelson Martins and was suffering from cramp. He requires electrolytes up until the game against Ingolstadt."

… the group F standings: "It is only half time, so to speak, with regard to this particular head to head. We are expecting a strong performance from Sporting in the return leg in Dortmund. We will let ourselves celebrate a little today and enjoy that winning feeling, especially in recognition of the efforts gone to by our younger players, and what we had demanded of them. We know how difficult the return leg will be. We want to win both games against Sporting. To do that, we will require another top performance in two weeks' time."

… the possibly (un)just end result: "It is very difficult in football to ever interpret a result as being some kind of yardstick for justice in the game, especially when fixtures are as closely fought as today's was. There are many small occurrences in the course of a game that can cause it to go in a certain direction. Luck and misfortune are simply part and parcel of getting a 'deserved' victory. For us, it feels as though the result is deserved, because we really gave everything that we could. We don't feel like underserving winners, but we can also see that if things had gone differently during certain phases of the game, then the result could have been different too."

… the development of Raphaël Guerreiro: "His development as a player cannot be appreciated highly enough. It is incredible, it is a great privilege and an honour to be training this player. He has a great personality. He is an exceptional talent. A top player. He solves problems for us on the field of play. He improves all those players who currently surround him. That is why he plays a central role for us. He can play in many positions, but in the last few fixtures he was very important for us operating in midfield."

… it being the proverbial game of two halves: „Champions League games in Sporting are high quality fixtures. The fact that the first half went as well for us as it did means that we should be proud of our efforts, especially when you see what Sporting are capable of. When you're leading 2-0, Sporting will take risks. They are a technically strong team, and consequently, they are very hard to defend against. I thought we had our worst spell during the first 15 minutes of the second half. Once we had got through that phase, we got back into the game. However, in those phases in which we were dominant once more, we made some basic errors, gave away the ball too cheaply and so handed them a couple of good chances. After conceding the goal, we were a lot more impressive. We set up with many young and inexperienced players and had to brace ourselves for an onslaught. It was an exceptional performance. Due to the circumstances, I can forgive that phase of the game in which we were placed under a lot of pressure."

…the positive consequences of getting such a result for the team: "It doesn't bear thinking about that we might have conceded a late goal. The fans would have gone crazy in the stands. Sporting would have celebrated, and we would have been lying on the floor exhausted, feeling as though we had lost. I can assure you that everybody is feeling the kilometres they ran in their legs! The sense of satisfaction you get when you go to bed exhausted and wake up the next morning in the knowledge that you have got the three points is irreplaceable. If we had suffered some misfortune towards the end of the game, there wouldn't have been any comforting words to replicate that feeling. It is good that we secured the result." (fu)

BVB total!-Video: The complete press conference with Thomas Tuchel