SPAIN: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Coach Manuel Pellegrini says his side were fair winners as Malaga kept their Champions League dream alive with a 2-0 win at home to 10-man Porto

Record ID: 720761

  • Title: SPAIN: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Coach Manuel Pellegrini says his side were fair winners as Malaga kept their Champions League dream alive with a 2-0 win at home to 10-man Porto
  • Date: 14th March 2013
  • Summary: MALAGA, SPAIN (MARCH 13, 2013) (REUTERS) MALAGA COACH MANUEL PELLEGRINI ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM SCREEN DISPLAYING NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS / PELLEGRINI SEATED AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MALAGA COACH MANUEL PELLEGRINI, SAYING: "We played a really bad game in Portugal and we lost 1-0 with an offside goal. I think that here at our home we always were very confident we could overturn the tie. Aside from those 15, 20 minutes in which we were a bit agitated I believe the team played a very clever match and we were better than Porto and in my opinion we were fair winners." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS JOURNALIST TYPING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MALAGA COACH MANUEL PELLEGRINI, SAYING: "I think it would be better for Spanish football if the three of us (Malaga, Barcelona and Real Madrid) go in separate ways. But they are Europe's top eight teams so any of them is going to be a difficult rival. But we, as I said at the beginning of this Champions (League) we are not just going to participate, we are going to be competitive. First we managed to knock out Panathinaikos, a team with great experience in Champions. Then, when we played against Milan and Zenit everybody thought that we were out but we won the group." JOURNALIST TYPING STEWARDESS PELLEGRINI LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM PORTO COACH VITOR PEREIRA ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM CLOSE OF PEREIRA NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) PORTO COACH VITOR PEREIRA, SAYING: "We leave the Champions League with the idea that we were far better than Malaga at home. Here we ran behind the incidents of the game. Things were developing and they did not let us make our game or give it the speed we like." NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) PORTO COACH VITOR PEREIRA, SAYING: "I would take the same decisions that I made because I'm sure they were the best options for the team. I couldn't foresee the dismissal or the bad feelings (injury) Joao had in the first half." CAMERAMAN PEREIRA LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM
  • Embargoed: 29th March 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Spain
  • Country: Spain
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVACC9J3L9KDMWD9625HZG0K1Q8S
  • Story Text: Coach Manuel Pellegrini said his side deserved to win as Malaga kept their Champions League dream alive when Isco and substitute Roque Santa Cruz struck in a 2-0 win at home to 10-man Porto on Wednesday (March 13) that sent the La Liga side through to the last eight 2-1 on aggregate.
    Porto, the 2004 winners, started strongly at a packed and vibrant Rosaleda before Malaga's highly-rated playmaker Isco, the standout performer on the night, put the home side ahead with a brilliant curling effort two minutes before halftime.
    Porto's hopes were dealt a further blow four minutes after the break when midfielder Steven Defour was shown a second yellow card and sent off for a late tackle on Joaquin.
    With a numerical advantage and the crowd whipping them on, Malaga probed patiently for a second and Roque Santa Cruz headed into the net from Isco's corner in the 77th minute, moments after coming off the bench.

    "We played a really bad game in Portugal and we lost 1-0 with an offside goal. I think that here at our home we always were very confident we could overturn the tie. Aside from those 15, 20 minutes in which we were a bit agitated I believe the team played a very clever match and we were better than Porto and in my opinion we were fair winners," said Pellegrini after their victory.
    The tie was still delicately balanced and Porto threw men forward but Malaga held firm to ensure their name will be included in Friday's (March 15) draw for the quarter-finals along with Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Paris St Germain and Galatasaray.

    "I think it would be better for Spanish football if the three of us (Malaga, Barcelona and Real Madrid) go in separate ways. But they are Europe's top eight teams so any of them is going to be a difficult rival. But we, as I said at the beginning of this Champions (League) we are not just going to participate, we are going to be competitive. First we managed to knock out Panathinaikos, a team with great experience in Champions. Then, when we played against Milan and Zenit everybody thought that we were out but we won the group," Pellegrini said.
    Leading 1-0 from last month's game in Portugal, Porto dominated the early stages but had to wait until the ninth minute before creating their first genuine chance when Danilo fired an angled shot over the bar.
    Porto coach Vitor Pereira said Porto failed to find their game.

    "We leave the Champions League with the idea that we were far better than Malaga at home. Here we ran behind the incidents of the game. Things were developing and they did not let us make our game or give it the speed we like," he said.
    Pereira said his side's chances had been dented by an injury to Joao Moutinho that forced the influential midfielder, who scored his side's goal in the first leg, off at the break.

    "I would take the same decisions that I made because I'm sure they were the best options for the team. I couldn't foresee the dismissal or the bad feelings (injury) Joao had in the first half," he said.
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