Deportivo Coruna conceded that they were outplayed by a determined and rugged Porto in their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.
The Galicians missed out on the chance of a first ever European final after they went down to a 1-0 aggregate defeat against the recently crowned Portuguese champions when Brazilian striker Derlei Silva fired in a 60th minute penalty to score at the Riazor.
| |||||||||||
"They are a very solid team, who work really hard in both defence and attack. They pressured us all over the park and made it difficult for us in both games and deserved to go through to the final."
In a disjointed match that was high on tension and effort but short on fluent football, Porto always had the whip-hand as they bossed the midfield and restricted Deportivo to a few half-chances over the 90 minutes.
Deco Souza earned his side a penalty when he was brought down by Depor centre back Cesar after he had jinked his way into the area.
Derlei, who was the hero of Porto's UEFA Cup triumph last season when he scored twice in their 3-2 victory over Celtic, slotted the spot kick into the corner beyond the reach of the out-stretched Jose Molina.
FIRST GOAL
It was the first goal that Depor had conceded at the Riazor in the Champions League this season and their first home defeat in the competition since they were beaten 4-0 by AC Milan in September 2002.
"The players are really down," said Argentine midfielder Lionel Scaloni. "But we recognise that the best team won. They beat us more because of their attitude than their football, but that was enough."
A streetwise Porto, who remain on course to complete a domestic and European treble for the second season in a row, had clearly done their homework on their opponents.
They gained an early stranglehold on the midfield and never gave Depor playmaker Juan Carlos Valeron the time or space to release his men up front.
"They controlled us very well," said Valeron. We didn't know how to cope with the intensity of the game and they did. They were clearly familiar with our style of play and gave us little option to win the game."
Deportivo president Cesar Augusto Lendoiro echoed the opinions of his players, but highlighted the success of the club reaching the last four of Europe's premier club competition for the first time.
"Porto were better than us on the night," he said. "We didn't play well, but it was a great triumph to get this far and we will be trying to go one step further next time."
Depor are already assured of gaining a place in the qualifying phase for next season's Champions League.
