Espanyol boss Sergio Gonzalez has apologised to the club’s fans following the Copa del Rey semi-final exit at the hands of Athletic Bilbao.
Los Pericos exited the competition 3-1 on aggregate after first-half goals from Aritz Aduriz and Xabier Etxeita earned the Basques a comfortable 2-0 victory at the Power8 Stadium on Wednesday.
It would have been Espanyol’s first final appearance since 2000 and Sergio said he hoped the experience will have helped his team to “learn and improve”.
“It was not the performance I was hoping for but now and then losing can help you learn and improve,” he told a Press conference.
“This was probably the most important game some of my players have ever played in and sometimes it can prove a bit too much.
“However, I congratulate all my players for the great Cup run and it’s a shame to be eliminated in this way. I’m sorry for the fans and we’ll try and make up for it in the League.
“Nothing can console us because we’ve missed an opportunity, but I’d prefer to remain positive.
“We struggled at first and Athletic were the best side in the first half. We didn’t look our usual selves yet I’m left with all the magic and fantastic times we’ve had in this competition.
“Time will heal the wounds and although we are hurt we will now need to lift ourselves and carry on. We have another important game on Sunday,” he added.
