FCBARCELONA.CAT

25.02.2010 23:58

Pascual: "Winning is all that matters"

www.fcbarcelona.cat

Xavi Pascual praised Panathinaikos for their performance against his Regal Barça side after a dramatic victory in the Greek capital saw the Catalan outfit stay on top of Group E.

The Blaugrana trainer admitted that the most important thing for him was to win the game and to qualify for the next stage, but he admitted his admiration for the reigning European champions as they led until the fourth quarter before succumbing to a dramatic comeback.

Xavi Pascual

"I want to begin by complimenting Panathinaikos, the current European champions, and by stating my admiration for coach Obradovic, who is the best in Europe.

"We all know the difficulties of playing in the Top 16.- The game began with them clearly in control as we played without any aggression and without moving well. Little by little we came into the game and at the end of the first quarter and in the first five minutes of the second we dominated. In the last few minutes of the first half though they scored 12 points and we missed easy baskets to see them go in ahead.

"In the third quarter Panathinaikos started with an excellent defence and were on top. But in the fourth quarter and I think the way that scoring went says it all. We scored three successive baskets at crucial times.

"The truth is that we talked about the possibility of being behind and that it we were able to fight back slowly but surely then we could win.

"It does not help when people say you are the favourites because it adds pressure and in moments of weakness we do not play as well as we can. All this is for the journalists but it does not help if you are considered favourites. All that matters is that you win in the end.

"I do not think that Panathinaikos are that different this season to last year, but to lose the first game in the Top 16 brings pressure and that has not helped as they have gone on to lose other games.

Juan Carlos Navarro

"We have to continue going step by step and to focus on the next game. We cannot think about anything that we have done up until now. If we can continue to do the good things that we did here then we have a chance to do well.

"It is a fact that we have sent out a message by beating Panathinaikos but we also know that we will now have to face some more very difficult opponents."