Luis Enrique insists still work to do after Barca beat Bayern 3-0
Xinhua, May 7, 2015 Adjust font size:
FC Barcelona coach Luis Enrique enjoyed one of the best nights of his coaching career as his side beat Bayern Munich 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal on Wednesday night, but then insisted there was still work to be done before they could book their tickets for the final in Berlin.
Leo Messi scored two brilliant goals while Neymar added a third in a devastating 15 minute spell at the end of the game to give what should be a definitive lead as a Bayern led by former Barca coach, Pep Guardiola.
However, Luis Enrique remembered the 2005 Champions League final as a warning that Barca could not relax.
"Let's not forget that final when Liverpool came back after going 3-0 down (against AC Milan)," he said. The Barca coach also remembered how Bayern had lost the first leg of their quarter-final 3-1 in Porto, only to win the return leg, 6-1.
"It's a Champions League semifinal against a top level rival. We didn't expect anything different to what we saw out there... We created numerous chances on goal and in 15 thrilling minutes we managed to resolve this game but not the tie. The return in Munich is going to be very difficult, I'm sure," he said.
Luis Enrique praised Messi for his brilliance, but added it was not just the Argentinean, who had been outstanding. "We're a team; that's why we beat Bayern," he said.
Meanwhile it was a difficult return to his former club for Guardiola.who admitted the 3-0 defeat was "hard to take and doesn't reflect what happened. We were playing as we wanted at the end of the first half and the start of the second, but we lacked punch in attack, because we lacked pace," he said in reference to the absence of injured duo Frank Ribery and Arjen Robben.
"Barca didn't have much of the ball, but our heads dropped at 1-0, you still have a chance at 2-0, but 3-0 is more difficult, but next week we are playing in Munich," he concluded. Endi