Iniesta: “To date, this was one of the most complete games we've played”

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Flavia

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ALEIX SANTACANA 03/13/2013 00:05
fcbarcelona.com

The Barça midfielder says that "we achieved our objective" and he adds "when there's that kind of unity between the team and the fans, matches at the Camp Nou can be very long for our rivals"

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“We achieved our objective. To date it was one of the most complete games we’ve played. Hopefully this experience will help us in the future,” said Andrés Iniesta after this evening’s 4-0 victory over AC Milan. The midfielder added: “the team played brilliantly. When you have that kind of unity between the team and the fans games can be very long for our rivals at the Camp Nou.”

The comeback was a necessity

The Spanish footballer explained that the fightback was an absolute necessity after the result from the away leg: “we had an obligation to try and fight back and that’s what we did. The feelings we transmitted on the pitch were fantastic. When we show our identity, we’re very hard to beat.” He added: “at times things do go the way you had hoped. The season is very long and there’s time for everything. This Tuesday we had to be at 110%.”

General satisfaction

Each and every Barça player agreed that they had been superior to Milan, that the atmosphere at the stadium was simply magical and, most importantly, the team regained its essence.

Here are the statements made by some of the FC Barcelona players after the match:

DAVID VILLA

“We came out flying from the very beginning. We looked for our first goal from the starting whistle. We believed we could turn the tie around, and with that attitude a lot can be accomplished.”

“We’re very pleased for the fans. They have always believed in us and they haven’t criticised us along the way. This was for them.”

“Our joy is overwhelming. We need to enjoy this. I really don’t care who we face in the quarter-finals.”

JORDI ALBA

“This is a very important victory for us, so much was at stake. We suffered a lot in the final minutes of the game. Milan were looking for a goal.”

“We were great going forward and on defence. We saw the real FC Barcelona. They had a clear chance, Niang’s. Luckily, my goal was important.”

GERARD PIQUÉ

“We were lucky enough to score early and that helped us. We were superior to Milan from the start and we’re good enough to score goals.”

“The atmosphere was fantastic. The fans knew what we needed and we played well.”

DANI ALVES

“I think that, once again, the members and the fans left the stadium with a sense of pride. We aren’t the team that lost to Milan. We’re the team that won this evening. We pressured, created chances, etc.”

“This is the team’s identity. We know how to control the rhythm of the game. In this magical night we defeated a great rival. The response from this team in decisive matches is usually very good.”

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Jordi Roura: “These players are special”

DAVID R. JOVER 03/13/2013 00:00

"At the break we were where we wanted to be, level on aggregate. I told the players to be calm," explains the assistant manager.

Jordi Roura was pleased and relaxed during the post-match press conference after his team defeated AC Milan by 4-0 to earn a spot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. “The fans were decisive, they were superb. Their support was fantastic,” said the assistant manager.

When asked about the match, Roura said that “we had a very clear idea of how we needed to play. We tried to open up the pitch on one side more than the other. We fixed our centre forward position and that stopped their full backs from coming forward.”

The match Barça wanted to play

“At the break we were right where we wanted to be, level on aggregate. I told the players to be calm. Frankly it was pretty difficult when we were up 3-0 and it seemed as though Milan could have scored from any play. We controlled the tempo of the match and with the 4-0 it was over,” said Roura, who added that “Tito Vilanova is very happy and he’ll be here for the next round of play.”

The FC Barcelona assistant manager also commented that his players “are special.” He continued: “the players were overly criticised and they showed that they are special. They played with intensity, commitment, and that should make us proud. I’m very pleased.” The assistant manager also had words of praise for Leo Messi: “Leo gave us a majestic lesson of what it means to play football. He’s an extraordinary player, and when he’s surrounded by the best he has no limits.”

Deserved victory

“I’m not the most adequate person to judge Milan’s game. We knew how Milan were going to play and we tried to exploit that. It was very hard for them in the first 20 minutes of the match when we had control of the ball. I wouldn’t talk about Milan’s difficulties because they could have defeated us. It’s more about how we played than how they did,” declared Roura. He added: “we’re going through to the next round because we kept a clean sheet.”
 

Moe-23

New member
Well said iniesta, the ending of the game kinda reminded me of the euro final, alba scored to seal off things, he did that again tonight.
 

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