MENDILIBAR: THEY IMPROVED AFTER THE EQUALISER AND WERE THE BETTER TEAM FOR LARGE PARTS

José Luis Mendilibar, Sevilla FC manager, gave the following verdict on his side's 1-1 home draw with RC Lens in their Champions League opener: "We started the game strongly, playing well and taking the lead but then we tailed off. After their goal they improved in both attack and defence. In the first half we afforded them very few chances, but in the second period Dmitrović had to be immense for us in goal. We had our moments in attack but didn't play as a unit, lacked cohesion between the lines and dropped too deep in defence when we lost the ball. We have to improve on this front and must be more connected as a team in order to raise our level." 

"They were on top for longer than we were and although they didn't have many attempts on goal, I feel they were probably the better team on the night. It's the Champions League, the best teams in Europe, and ultimately a point when we didn't play well isn't a bad result," added the boss. 

Mendilibar finished by addressing the refereeing display and the upcoming trip to Pamplona: "He blew his whistle a lot but the decisions were evenly split between both sides. Against Osasuna we have to be completely switched on otherwise we have no chance. We must be focussed and fight for eachother to get the three points."