22.09.2007 23:58
Rijkaard: “We deserved the win”
Vanessa Forns
Frank Rijkaard was delighted with his team’s 2-1 win against Sevilla and stressed: “We deserved the win”.
Rijkaard reminded reporters of his comments before the match: “It was vital to keep growing
as a team. We’ve beaten a very well organised opponent and taken three very important points.
Anyone that saw the match has to say that we deserved the win”.
Praise for Messi
Lionel Messi, who scored both of Barça’s goals, was undoubtedly the star of the match.
The Argentine striker dedicated his first goal to team-mate Ronaldinho, who was ruled out of
contention at the last moment due to a calf problem. According to Frank Rijkaard: “Messi is
playing really well. I very much liked the fact that, after the first goal, he remembered his
team-mate. It shows that he’s got a cool head because when you score a goal you normally only
think about celebrating”.
Pity about the Sevilla goal
Frank Rijkaard preferred not to draw any comparisons between the performance last night and
the one against Lyon: “I don’t want to compare matches”. He congratulated his
players while at the same time regretting the Sevilla goal in the 90th minute: “The last goal
was a pity. It gave us some anxious final moments”.
Praise for Touré Yaya
Finally, Rijkaard assured reporters that he was not worried about Ronaldinho and then singled
out Touré Yaya for a special mention: “Touré comes as no surprise. He’s adapted very
quickly, reads the game really well and has plenty of tactical discipline. He makes life difficult
for any opponent”.