Thursday, April 06, 2006

Rijkaard: Benfica pushed Barcelona all the way


Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard was happy to see his team score twice from open play in last night's 2-0 Champions League win over Benfica.

"I was actually happy with missed the penalty," said Rijkaard. "The truth is there would've been a lot of controversy if we had scored from it.
"It was a tough game. I was happy with 2-0, but the truth is it cost us a lot to achieve that scoreline. The team had to fight at every moment."
Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o struck the goals for Barca and Rijkaard continued: "I know what to expect from AC Milan in the semifinals. They will be two very interesting games.
"I'm happy to reach the final four, now I hope we can recover some of our injured players and face a powerful Milan with confidence."