Off the wire
• Ecuador to play two friendlies ahead of Copa America  • U.S. dollar rallies on strong trade data from China  • 2nd LD Writethru: U.S. CDC concludes Zika causes microcephaly, other birth defects  • Slovakia vows to squeeze unemployment rate under 10 pct  • 1st LD: U.S. CDC concludes Zika causes microcephaly, other birth defects  • Angry protesters demolish Macedonian president's public office  • Urgent: Zika causes microcephaly, other birth defects -- CDC  • Cuba reports more Zika virus cases  • Ethnic minority people in jobs in Britain at all-time high: gov't  • Chinese tech firm leads Ghana's solar energy breakthrough  
You are here: 　 Home

Barca coach Luis Enrique philosophical after European exit

Xinhua, April 14, 2016 Adjust font size:

FC Barcelona coach Luis Enrique was realistic about things after seeing his side being knocked out of the quarter-finals of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.

Two goals from Atletico striker Antoine Griezmann gave Atletico a 2-0 win on the night and a 3-2 aggregate triumph to send the reigning Champions out of the competition.

Barca had 72 percent of the ball, but apart from a penalty appeal which was wrongly turned down in the last minute of the game, rarely threatened in yet another disappointing performance.

"The game was more or less as we expected it to be, although maybe Atletico started a bit deeper than we had thought," said the Barca boss in his UEFA flash interview.

Barca have lost 3 of their last 4 games after seeing a 39 game unbeaten run come to an end at home to Real Madrid three weeks ago.

"This was not our best day: we were not fluid or lucid in our football. Maybe we created enough in second half to score, but we didn' t and I wish luck to Atletico Madrid in the next round," said the Barca coach, who insisted he had not been worried until Atletico took the lead 6 minutes before halftime.

"I was calm in first half, we have played here a lot here and suffered more than here," he commented, before admitting his side were struggling for form.

"We are not in our best moment of the season, but this is football and we are still in two competitions (league and cup) so we have to lift ourselves up," he concluded.

Barca' s next game is on Sunday night when they entertain Valencia in the Camp Nou Stadium. Endit