Ukraine club's coach Lucescu wants team to build on success for the coming years
Ukraine club's coach Lucescu wants team to build on success for the coming yearsShakhtar Donetsk coach Mircea Lucescu believes his team's triumph in the last UEFA Cup was just one step in the progress of Eastern European sides and set his sights on Champions League success next year.
Brazilian Jadson scored in extra time to earn Shakhtar a 2-1 victory over Germany's Werder Bremen in the UEFA Cup final last night, making them the first Ukrainian team to win a major European trophy since the break-up of the Soviet Union.
"I am happy that we have continued the success of Ukrainian teams. I hope this result will give us more stamina and strength to prepare for the 2012 Euro Championships," Lucescu said.
"The team is very young and I hope no players will leave the team. We want to do well in the Champions League. We can do better than we did today. The Champions League must be our future aim," he added.
Shakhtar were the third former Soviet club to win the UEFA Cup in five seasons following victories for CSKA Moscow in 2005 and Zenit St Petersburg last year.
The UEFA Cup will become the Europa League next season, a revamped competition UEFA hopes will enhance its image and profile.
Werder Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf said his side should have put more pressure on their opponents, especially during extra time when Shakhtar were committed to defending.
"We were just not fast enough and we were not effective enough and we were not able to put pressure on the opponent," he said.
"We weren't able to attack as much as we usually do. We weren't able to target the opponent's goal that well."
