Thursday, February 24, 2011

Champions League (Last-16, 1st Leg): Mourinho reactions

MOURINHO: "WE PLAY A TRUE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GAME"

Mourinho at Gerland Stadium
Jose Mourinho

"I feel we did more to win 2-0 than to draw 1-1, but this is nevertheless a good result because we'll play the return leg at our stadium before our fans. They have to help us reach the quarterfinals."

"It is very complicated to be a referee. You don't like it when a ref is late or misses something during the game, but certain situations are unacceptable. I saw a player touch the ball with his elbow 50 metres away and the ref, who was just 5 metres away, didn't award a penalty. This is the Champions League, a competition that showcases the best players, the best clubs and the best referees. None of the four refs on the pitch saw the handball. I hope it doesn't prove decisive at the end of the knockout stage. It would be very sad if it did."

"It's still open. Lyon are a very strong side with experience in Europe, so we can't think this is over. We earned a good result, that's it. They've proven to be a solid and competitive side away from home. I still believe either team has a 50% chance of reaching the next round."

"We've changed our history here tonight. Real Madrid had never scored here until today. They've never defeated Lyon in Madrid, so we want to change history yet again."

"Benzema took the pitch very well. I knew the first half would be tough and that there would be few spaces for us to attack in. There were more in the second half and Karim is a player who is very dangerous in open spaces. He scored a great goal that is very important to us. He is fit to be a starter at Real Madrid. He has made progress on all aspects of the game. I felt bad for benching him at the start because this was his homecoming, but it was better for him to come on in the second half."

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