Victory over Celtic was not easy, says Matri

07-Mar-2013 4:04:00 AM

The 28-year-old striker opened the scoring for the Old Lady, but admitted the tie was tougher than the aggregate result suggests

Alessandro Matri says Juventus' 2-0 Champions League win over Celtic was not as comfortable as it appeared on the surface.

The striker opened the scoring after 24 minutes, and though the Bianconeri went on to book their place in the Champions League quarter-finals, with Fabio Quagliarella wrapping up a 5-0 aggregate win, he contemplated how it could so easily have gone sour.

"It seemed to be an easy game for us but it was not. If we had conceded an early goal it would have been tough for us tonight," Matri said to reporters after the game.

"I scored both in the first leg and tonight, I am happy especially because I could celebrate it in front of our supporters.

"I still feel hungry for more, of course I would like to play every game but it's not possible. I have to do all I can when I am on the pitch."

Paul Pogba agreed with the sentiments of his team-mate and offered his opinion that Antonio Conte's men must expect to be pushed to their limits in every game if they hope to go further in the competition.

“We played very well and are all very happy with the result, as this was a difficult game for us," he said.

"I don’t know how far we can go. We hope to win this Champions League, as we must keep going like this, knowing every game is difficult. We are Juve, so we must win.

"I always have to improve, that's what my coach keeps telling me and this is what I will do. I just want to play and win, that's all.

"The supporters always want me to shoot from long distance because I scored a few goals like that, but that's not easy. The game was not as easy as it seemed tonight."

Juve join fellow qualified outfits Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain in the draw for the quarter-finals on March 15.

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