Didier Drogba praised Galatasaray's
'fantastic attitude' in their victory over Schalke, while strike partner
Burak Yilmaz has set his sights on the UEFA Champions League
semi-finals.
The Turkish giants reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 2001 after a dramatic 4-3 aggregate win in the last 16 in Germany on Tuesday night.
Galatasaray had to withstand a second-half fightback from Schalke but ultimately won 3-2 on the night to reach Friday's draw with the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
And January signing Drogba, who won last season's Champions League with Chelsea, told Sky Sports: "First off, it is a good result for us and I am delighted with the way we played.
"We showed some character. Tonight, we came with a fantastic attitude."
Schalke had taken the lead through Roman Neustadter but their former player, Hamit Altintop, and tournament joint top goalscorer Yilmaz hit back in the space of five minutes.
Michel Bastos then equalised in the second half to give Schalke hope of a dramatic comeback but Gala substitute Umut Bulut settled the tie in stoppage time.
And, now, Yilmaz, who has scored eight goals alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, wants Galatasaray to go even further and reach the final four of Europe's pedigree cup competition.
"It is a very nice night," said the striker. "Everything went like we wanted and we believed in our triumph. I would like to thank the Turkish nation. Our hearts are with them.
"Now, everybody is celebrating and dancing in the dressing room. Our new target is reaching the semi-finals.
"There will be really good teams in the next round but it will not matter who we are paired with.
"We can go on the pitch and fight like lions. We have already surpassed expectations."
The Turkish giants reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 2001 after a dramatic 4-3 aggregate win in the last 16 in Germany on Tuesday night.
Galatasaray had to withstand a second-half fightback from Schalke but ultimately won 3-2 on the night to reach Friday's draw with the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
And January signing Drogba, who won last season's Champions League with Chelsea, told Sky Sports: "First off, it is a good result for us and I am delighted with the way we played.
"We showed some character. Tonight, we came with a fantastic attitude."
Schalke had taken the lead through Roman Neustadter but their former player, Hamit Altintop, and tournament joint top goalscorer Yilmaz hit back in the space of five minutes.
Michel Bastos then equalised in the second half to give Schalke hope of a dramatic comeback but Gala substitute Umut Bulut settled the tie in stoppage time.
And, now, Yilmaz, who has scored eight goals alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, wants Galatasaray to go even further and reach the final four of Europe's pedigree cup competition.
"It is a very nice night," said the striker. "Everything went like we wanted and we believed in our triumph. I would like to thank the Turkish nation. Our hearts are with them.
"Now, everybody is celebrating and dancing in the dressing room. Our new target is reaching the semi-finals.
"There will be really good teams in the next round but it will not matter who we are paired with.
"We can go on the pitch and fight like lions. We have already surpassed expectations."
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