Intro:

AS Monaco reached the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time in nine years on Tuesday (9th December) following a 2-0 win over Zenit St Petersburg at the Stade Louis II, which allowed Monaco head coach Leonardo Jardim to take a swipe at the French club's critics.

Script:

SOUNDBITE: (Portuguese), Leonardo Jardim, Monaco coach:

"I am happy because we have succeeded in our objective. It seems to me that the group, the players, have given a frank response to the critics, especially the critics of French football, who at first criticised our team at the start of the season because they said we didn't have the capacity to play well in a competition as important as the Champions League."

SOUNDBITE: (Portuguese), Leonardo Jardim, Monaco coach:

"It's not my job to focus on one player. Joao Moutinho played well but so did the whole team, especially in the second half. We dominated and we scored the goals. After a first half where we had a bit of difficulty - where the team was well balanced defensively, had a level of organisation, but lacked a bit of aggression and I thought that we improved on both in the second half. This organisation and aggression allowed us to win the match."