Goalkeeper Joe Hart hailed the resolve and character of Manchester City as they reached the Champions League knockout stage with a brilliant 2-0 win at Roma.

Samir Nasri and Pablo Zabaleta struck in the second half to claim the victory which was enough to see City through to the last 16.

French playmaker Nasri chose the perfect moment to score his first goal of the season, smashing in a shot via the woodwork on the hour at the Stadio Olimpico.

Until then a City side without three of their key players had been second best but Hart was outstanding and they grew in confidence to claim a famous victory when Nasri set up Zabaleta after 86 minutes.

It completed a remarkable comeback in Group E, with progress having looked unlikely just a couple of weeks ago.

"We are a string unit and we believed in it," Hart told Sky Sports 5. "We had a bit of a slow start but you don't win the Premier League easily. We've got resolve, we've got character and we've got great players. Add that all together and you have a chance.

"It was a great performance and we're moving in the right direction. We've won five or six games on the spin now and we've really stepped it up."

Nasri admitted his goal was of huge importance both for the team and on a personal level.

"It was important for me to score as after my surgery it took a little bit of time to come back to that level and now I am," he said.

"We are a team and we did it today."

Nasri also revealed that manager Manuel Pellegrini had told his side not to panic against Roma.

"The manager told us to take our time. We won our game against Bayern Munich in the last minute as well and we knew that we had to be patient," Nasri added.

"For me my strike was important but at 1-0 the save that Joe made on the corner was amazing."

Meanwhile, the serious Champions League business begins for Chelsea in February after Jose Mourinho's men completed their unbeaten Group G campaign with a 3-1 win over Sporting Lisbon.

The Blues had already qualified for the last 16 as group winners, with Sporting hoping to join them ahead of Schalke, managed by Chelsea's European Cup-winning manager Roberto di Matteo.

A Cesc Fabregas penalty and goals from Andre Schurrle and John Obi Mikel - his fifth goal in more than 300 Blues appearances - meant Sporting had to rely on Maribor avoiding defeat against Schalke.

But the Germans won 1-0 in Slovenia to advance to the knockout stages.

Chelsea had made six changes to the side which lost at Newcastle - the Blues' first defeat in 24 matches this season - but strolled to a 2-0 lead within 16 minutes.

Jonathan Silva pulled a goal back five minutes into the second half, but Mikel restored the two-goal advantage within six minutes.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek, an 18-year-old midfielder who has been at Chelsea since the age of eight, came off the substitutes' bench for his debut with seven minutes remaining on what was a comfortable night for the home side.

Chelsea always appeared likely to win Group G, the only surprise was that their passage was not more comfortable.

The Blues opened with a draw with Schalke, who they beat 5-0 in Germany, beat Maribor 6-0, but drew the return and edged to a 1-0 win in Lisbon before Wednesday night's triumph.

Chelsea will face sterner tests when their quest for a second European Cup - and Mourinho's third with three different clubs - resumes, but first Hull await when the Barclays Premier League leaders return to domestic duty on Saturday.