Barcelona manager Xavi cut a resigned figure following Real Madrid’s 4-0 thrashing of his side, which saw the LaLiga leaders dumped out of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday evening.
Reminding the gathered press that Real Madrid had been the ‘favourites’ going into the tie, the club legend stressed that there were a handful of ‘moments’ that didn’t go the Blaugrana’s way, but that this was the way the game worked.
‘It is a difficult night to digest. This is football.
‘You have to compete better. We have competed well until 1-0. They are moments that we have to stop. We could have also stopped the 2-0 moment. In short, they are details that we have to control.
‘In the first half we were very good, but that’s what I said: football is about moments and we didn’t take advantage of them.
Xavi looked dejected on the sidelines following Barcelona’s Copa del Rey exit on Wednesday
‘When football is so even, you have to take advantage of the moments. We didn’t do it in the first half and they did in the second. They have been superior, no excuses.’
The head coach added hinted at the ever-present threat that Real Madrid can provide in big matches, regardless of their league form, going on to add: ‘It would sound like an excuse if we talk about injuries. We competed very well in the first leg and in the first half. I feel proud about that.
‘I already said that Real Madrid were the favourites, they are the recent Champions League winners.’
Robert Lewandowski was one of the Barcelona forwards who failed to get on the scoresheet
Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid side ran riot at the Camp Nou, winning 4-1 on aggregate
An emphatic cup win, spurred on by a hat-trick by Karim Benzema, will no doubt strike fear in the hearts of their next international opponents, Chelsea.
The west London club will play the current titleholders in their Champions League semi-final in less than two weeks time.
‘When you don’t kill Real Madrid, Real Madrid kill you,’ Xavi noted. ‘We didn’t score at least one goal… They were better than us, and this is football.’
