FCBARCELONA.CAT

09.01.2008 23:59

Rijkaard: “A draw is a good result”

Vanessa Forns

Frank Rijkaard believes a draw was “a good result” in the match against Sevilla given the way the match went and bearing in mind that the return leg is in the Camp Nou.

The 1-1 draw in the first leg of the Cup tie against Sevilla means that there’s everything left to be decided in the Camp Nou next Tuesday. Rijkaard told reporters that his team had started well but failed to take their chances after Sevilla scored: “Analysing the match, a draw is a good result for us. Now we have to take advantage of our home game”.

Rijkaard praised the all-round team effort but admitted that the second half pressure from the home side had affected Barça’s performance: “We lacked a certain amount of confidence to do more damage”. He also revealed that some of his players had performed under par.

Sevilla’s performance

As for the home side, he explained: “They did everything and put more pressure on after the equaliser. It was an interesting match – intense and entertaining – between two good teams”.

Praise for Henry and Giovani

Finally, Frank Rijkaard singled out Henry and Giovani for special praise, in particular their work rate. As for the injury to Edmílson, he confirmed that the Brazilian would have a number of tests on Thursday to determine the extent of the damage.