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.