Marcelino Garcia Toralcoach of Athletic Club, was “happy and proud” of the “effort” made by his team to eliminate Real Madrid from the Copa del Rey, and stressed that “it is very difficult to dominate” the white team as his players did today.
“We did an immense job and then got the award which was absolutely deserved.. It is very difficult to eliminate Barça and Madrid consecutively, but having done so does not take us to the final. Now comes a two-legged semifinal that will surely be very complicated,” he explained.
“We have to enjoy what we experienced tonight, another special night turned into a magical one thanks to the extraordinary work of these footballers supported by an audience that is a joy. Being able to compete against Madrid in this way is incredible. The show has been wonderful,” added Marcelino.
The Asturian, on the other hand, categorically rejected that the Copa del Rey should not now become the priority objective of the season. “We are not in the right line if we think that this match yes and this one no. They are all yes and to the maximum. We have to think of Espanyol on Monday as if it were the last game because we have to win it if we want to be up. Normally the one who has the habit of winning wins important games”, he reflected.
Marcelino, finally, advanced that the injury suffered by Nico Williams in the final stretch of the first half “doesn’t look good”. “Hopefully it stays with a milder injury than you might think. It’s muscular, in the back, and we’ll see if the tendon is affected or not. It’s a shame,” he lamented.