Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery was pleased with his players after they scrapped their way to a 2-0 win away at second tier Niort to reach the Coupe de France quarterfinals.
Substitutes Javier Pastore and Edinson Cavani both scored late goals to help the Ligue 1 giants to victory at Stade Rene Gaillard in awful weather conditions.
Speaking after the final whistle, Emery praised his squad's character and will to win in a testing environment.
"We are happy because the team battled well today," the Spaniard told PSG's official website. "There was a great atmosphere and difficult weather conditions.
"We did what was necessary and showed a great mentality and good spirit. The Coupe de France remains an objective for us. It is important we stay demanding."
Striker Cavani, who scored PSG's second at the death, admitted he and his teammates expected a tough test but felt the late win was ultimately deserved.
"We knew before kickoff that it would be a difficult game," the Uruguay international said. "Niort is a team that defends very well.
"We put in a solid performance. We dominated throughout the match and we deserved the win."
Speaking with Eurosport 1 after the match, right-back Thomas Meunier conceded that Niort made it difficult to score but was relieved to have passed a tricky test.
"We came up against a determined, combative and motivated team," said the Belgium international. "They had a lot of enthusiasm and in spite of dominating; we had a lot of difficulty to score the goals to get us through in difficult conditions."
Meunier also spoke of his happiness at PSG and how grateful he is to be plying his trade at Parc des Princes.
"Personally, I am really enjoying it," the former Club Brugge man enthused. "It is the dream of every footballer to play in a team of the quality of PSG, so I am enjoying it fully.
"It is a blessing to be at PSG."
Next up for the French champions are Nancy at home in Ligue 1 on Saturday before next week's UEFA Champions League round-of-16 second-leg away match at Barcelona with a 4-0 advantage from the first encounter.