Marcelino: “The result doesn’t reflect the match”

Athletic Club manager Marcelino García described the 4-0 scoreline as “excessive” after the Lions defeat against FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou, saying he was pleased with his side’s performance despite the loss.

There was little to separate the two sides until the final stretch, with three of Barça’s goals coming the last 20 minutes of the LaLiga Santander fixture.

“We left everything on the pitch,” Marcelino said at his post-match press conference.

“Until the 89th minute the team was in the game. Those last two goals might twist the reality of the team’s performance. I’m very satisfied with the way we played.

“We lined up with young players and other who’ve had less minutes recently. The team competed well until the final stretch. I don’t think the final reflects what we saw on the pitch during the ninety minutes. It’s excessive.”

Athletic take on Valencia CF at Mestalla this Wednesday in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final and Marcelino stressed his players must now switch their attentions to that fixture.

He said: “We analysed it so that we would go into both games in the best possible shape from a physical point of view. From here on we must approach Wednesday’s match with the ambition to be better than Valencia and reach another final.”