Manchester City keeper Joe Hart is adamant that he and his teammates always believed that they would qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League.
Manuel Pellegrini's men needed to defeat Roma to progress to the knockout stage of the competition without Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero in their lineup.
However, strikes from Samir Nasri and Pablo Zabaleta secured the win at the Stadio Olimpico to send the Citizens through.
Hart told Sky Sports News: "First of all I've got to say it was a great effort from the fans, Rome is a difficult place to come but Samir made their night for them.
"People wrote us off without our key players but we're a strong unit, we believed in what we could do.
"You don't win two Premier League titles in three years easily. We have resolve, character and fantastic players - add that together and you've got a chance."
The draw for the knockout round takes place on Monday.
Simon Sinclair
