Jonathan dos Santos has admitted that Villarreal’s fans deserved a Copa del Rey final following his side’s last-four elimination at the hands of Barcelona.
Neymar’s third-minute goal meant the Yellow Submarine had it all to do for the remainder of Wednesday’s second leg, while their cause wasn’t helped by Tomas Pina’s straight red card for a two-footed lunge into the Brazilian attacker.
“Barcelona played very well and made the game very difficult,” the former Barca midfielder said after the Yellow Submarine’s 2-1 loss on the night and subsequent 6-2 aggregate defeat.
“A third-minute goal gave Barcelona [the tie]. Since then, they pressed well and took control.
“Nonetheless, Barca can kill you from any pass or opening, and that’s what happened.
“We left [the pitch] sad for the fans, who deserved a final, but we can still give them some joy in the Europa League.
“It was very difficult to score, but we tried until the end and must be happy with our performance.”
