Birmingham boss Chris Hughton saw his side earn a goalless draw from the first leg of their Europa League play-off match at Nacional, in Madeira. The Blues, competing in a major European competition for the first time since 1962, struck the woodwork three times at the Estadio da Madeira but in the end had to settle for a draw.
"I'm very happy with the result. We played at a special stadium against a good team. Of course to get a draw away in a competition like this is always good."
"Nacional were strong going forward and that made us work a lot, but the better goalscoring chances belonged to us and we could have won here," Hughton continued.
"Nacional started better and trailing at the beginning of a game is always bad. That didn't happen and with time we improved and got a better performance."
"Nacional are very strong on the counter-attack and away that characteristic can play a strong role for them. But at home, we have more responsibility to win," he added.
"The second leg won't be easy for us. But as hosts we are the bigger favourites against a Nacional who have quality as they shown here."
