Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech has stated that the team always had the belief that they could qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League.

Having lost three times earlier in the competition, the Gunners went into their final group game with Olympiacos on Wednesday needing to beat the Greek side by two clear goals or more to go through,

Arsenal got the result they required as a hat-trick from Olivier Giroud helped them to secure a 3-0 victory in Piraeus, and Cech has said that the manner of the win will give the team even more confidence for the remainder of the season.

"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," FourFourTwo quotes him as saying.

"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."

The draw for the last 16 takes place on Monday.