FCBARCELONA.CAT

19.04.2007 00:07

Rijkaard: “It isn’t over yet”

Frank Rijkaard was more than satisfied with the result against Getafe but despite the three-goal lead they will take to Madrid, he has no intention of assuming that the job has been done.

So, despite a convincing performance in tonight’s Copa del Rey semi final, Rijkaard knows there are still 90 minutes to go before they can start thinking about the final. “The tie is not over yet but we do have a three-goal lead. Now we still have to prepare ourselves for the return leg” he said.

A work of art

Not surprisingly, the Barça manager was asked what he thought about Leo Messi’s incredible goal, which he described as “a work of art”. Like many before him, Rijkaard saw the similarity between this and Maradona’s famous goal against England in 1986, but although “they are very similar, I think Messi accelerated a little bit more” he said.

He added that “Messi is a very talented player, and we cannot but help make comparisons with Maradona. But Messi is only interested in going out onto the pitch and playing games”.

Congratulations to the players

Although the way Getafe pulled two goals back in the second half may have been cause for concern, Rijkaard was pleased with his players. “Getafe did get back into it and that gave us a shock. But the team did well for the game to end with the score it did. I have to congratulate them because they did a great job.” He added that “the crowd gave us the support we needed when it was 3-2, and that helped us”.

Pressed for more on the goals Barça let in, Rijkaard said “we will discuss those with the players, but for now I just want to congratulate them on a job well done”.