Jose Mourinho admits he was extremely proud of the way his Manchester United players dealt with the poor playing conditions tonight.
The Red Devils managed a 1-1 draw with Rostov on the subpar playing surface of the Stadion Olimp-2 in Russia in the Europa League Round of 16 first leg.
Mourinho had concerns regarding the pitch before the game but luckily for his side, there were no injuries in what he describes was a 'new experience' for his players that they got through with flying colours.
"I said before the game that I didn't want to go more and more and more, its done no injuries," he told BT Sport.
"The result is open to the second leg and it was one more experience for every one of us. Football life is full of experiences and this is a new one for us.
"I remember as a kid some matches in Portugal in league 2 or amateurs. A real fight. But to see my players doing this and coping with this, and having the humility, to fight for every ball and get a good result is a good feeling for me."
United will return to England to prepare for Monday night's FA Cup quarter-final with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge before hosting Rostov at Old Trafford in the return bout next Thursday.
