Beckham praises Matthaeus and hard-working Partizan

Real Madrid midfielder David Beckham praised manager Lothar Matthaeus and his Partizan Belgrade players after the two teams drew 0-0 in a Champions League Group F match on Tuesday.

"Lothar Matthaeus has got a good team that works hard for their manager and for each other," the England captain told Belgrade's B 92 television channel.

Beckham said Real Madrid were happy to come away with the draw, which left the Spanish champions top of the group with 10 points and secured a berth in the knockout stages of the competition.

"You never go into a game expecting a goalless draw but the pitch was hard, they (Partizan) worked hard and we are happy in the end."

Asked to compare Partizan with Olympic Marseille and Porto, the other two teams in the group, Beckham said: "They've got a great manager and he is a great person as well".

Partizan prop up the group with two points from four matches, one point behind Marseille and five adrift of second-placed Porto.

The Serbia and Montenegro champions must win their remaining two fixtures and hope other results go their way to progress to the last 16.