Words of satisfaction and confidence come in from the star players of the Blaugrana.


The victorious players of FC Barcelona were glad to meet the press after securing a ticket to the next stage of the champions league and moving one step closer to Moscow. Some of the playyers spoke to the press as soon as they had an oportunity to, which was in the post match press conference. Valdes, Bojan and Messi all spoke along similar lines, with Bojan krkic keeping an eye on another goal record for the champions league. The players comments were as follows:


Valdés:

I slipped and so I wasn’t able to react in time. I don’t know if it was offside. It was a moment when the referee should have calmed things down and shown the opposition a card. When you see they hurt a young team mate and they kick him a thousand times and the referee does nothing, that kind of reaction is normal. Recently, away from home, we have played all kinds of teams, but we have played to our style. I don’t think the fact that Ronaldinho didn’t play is big news. It was very important to qualify top of the group.

Bojan:

I am very happy with the way things are going. It was important to win, but at least we have qualified. I am very happy with the confidence I am receiving and want to make the most of the chances I am given. I knew I had a chance of starting but until I knew it was official I was not expecting it. Ronaldinho was on the bench today, but he is a great player and I am sure he will continue to demonstrate that. I have a better chance of scoring if I play in the middle. It would be nice to score in the Champions League and I still have a game left. I have Oforiquaye’s record on my mind but it is no obsession. If I score against Stuttgart, well great, but if I don’t, it doesn’t matter. We hope we can continue like this because the derby on Saturday is very important.
Oforiquaye is the youngest player to score a goal in the Champions League.

Messi:

Our objective was to qualify, and top of the group, and so I am happy. Not only did I face strong challenges, but my team-mates did too. They played very tough. I feel fine and the most important thing is the team is doing well. It was odd to see Ronaldinho on the bench because he is such an important player for us, but I am sure we will need him on Saturday.