We never gave up – Petr Cech

Arsenal always believed they were capable of their dramatic progress through to the Champions League knockout phase, according to goalkeeper Petr Cech.

Arsene Wenger’s side travelled to face Olympiacos on Wednesday knowing that a victory by at least two goals was essential if they were to join Bayern Munich in the last 16.

A hat-trick from Olivier Giroud sealed a 3-0 victory for the Gunners and allowed them to leapfrog the Greek champions into second place in Group F – a resul Cech believes will be “massive” to their future.

“We were searching for it and we knew if we played our game, if we have a great team performance and great individual performances then we will have a chance, and we did say exactly that,” he said after.

“It is a massive win for us, the club, the supporters and for the future because it will give us confidence.

“The first goal was important because going 1-0 ahead, they knew that one goal would not take us through and were holding back as one goal can kill the game for them. So there was pressure from both sides and we managed to get the better side of that pressure ourselves.

“We played really well and we had to make sure we were in the game and we found our chances. In the second half we knew we needed a second for the result and obviously we had a great goalscorer today in form and we know that when we score goals that everything is easier. At the back we were magnificent.”