Aymen Abdennour thrilled by Monaco progress in Champions League

Monaco defender Aymen Abdennour has expressed his delight after helping the team to reach the last 16 of the Champions League.

The French club finished at the top of Group C on Tuesday night as a 2-0 win over Zenit St Petersburg saw them leapfrog Bayer Leverkusen.

Monaco's last campaign in the Champions League was back in 2004-05, while their previous appearance in the knockout phase of the competition came a year earlier.

"I'm delighted for the squad and particularly for the fans, because it's been a long time since Monaco were in the Champions League and now we're through to the last 16," Abdennour told UEFA.com. "Now we're waiting for the draw on Monday and I hope it'll suit us.

"I think we have one of the best defences in the Champions League – I'm very happy because I play in the back four, but I'm also happy for our goalkeeper and the technical staff who work on the defence a lot. We now have to keep going, keep improving, that's the most important thing."

Monaco are back in Ligue 1 action on Sunday when they host Marseille.