Sevilla coach Unai Emery: "We competed until the end"

Barcelona might have been the winners in the UEFA Super Cup, but Sevilla did not lose either.

After being down 4-1 to Barça, most teams would have given up and try not to concede more goals. Instead, the Europa League champions showed heart, determination, came back and tied the game, forcing overtime. Eventually, an exhausted side conceded a late goal to Pedro Rodríguez, and the Blaugrana emerged victorious after an unforgettable 120-minute war.

Sevilla coach, the awesome Unai Emery, who unfairly hasn't won a single game against Barça in a 20-game career against the Catalan giants, was a sad, yet proud man at his post-game press conference. The Spanish manager was complimentary of his players for being competitive throughout the whole match, which is a true trademark of the Sevillistas, who might no be the most talented, but are definitely warriors. A classy man in defeat, Emery commended the Blaugrana, and especially Super Cup MVP Leo Messi for being a game-changer.

Here's a few highlights of his presser:

"When the score was 4-1, clearly our expectations were low so the message was simply that we had to strive to compete until the end. At 4-1 you score a goal; it's 4-2 and you are getting closer. My aim was to help some tired players and to have players coming onto the pitch to provide solutions. At 4-3 we were pretty close and my team saw the light and that there was hope and then we equalised for 4-4.

"We caught our breath at that point and went into extra time with the possibility of victory. Barcelona did better at set pieces, when everyone was tired. It's hard to find a way through after that, but while it was 5-4 we had three clear chances.

"If there's one thing we want to make this team, it is competitive. We want to go for victory whatever the circumstances. If you can reach the UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Champions League you have to compete with these teams and see how far you can go. We lost tonight but we were competitive throughout and we are very proud of our team. The worst thing would have been not to have recognised the Sevilla we want to see. But our message to the fans is that we're excited and optimistic about the challenges ahead.

"I want to congratulate Lionel Messi too – his ability to play at the highest level with Barcelona and their consistency is what wins them trophies. There's a huge amount of teamwork behind it. Everyone has their role so that he can make the difference. Can we stop him next time? We'll try."

Source: UEFA

Source: Renato Goncalves http://ift.tt/1DLL6Eq