Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim has claimed that his side's qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League is "important" for French football.

The Ligue 1 side clinched first place in Group C on Tuesday night with a 2-0 victory at home to rivals Zenit St Petersburg.

They will be joined in the next round by Bayer Leverkusen, who finished one point behind after drawing 0-0 away to Benfica.

"Qualification is important, but it is more important for the players, for Monaco and for French football. It is never easy to reach the last 16," Jardim told UEFA.com. "We are top of the group. Our aim was to qualify, but we are top because we are the team who got the most points, so we deserve it."

Monaco continue their league campaign on Sunday when they entertain Marseille.