Monchi insisted Sevilla could have no regrets with their performance against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final as “now’s the time to celebrate”.
Sevilla held out for the first 90 minutes, despite Barca going a man down before the break and Ever Banega also seeing red in added time, but goals for Jordi Alba and Neymar in extra time ultimately gave the Catalans a 2-0 win, leaving the Andalusians with ‘only’ a Europa League to parade.
“It wasn’t to be, we had our chances and came close a few times, but I can only be proud of my players and the fans and we must congratulate Barcelona,” the sporting director [pictured, right] said after the game.
“We’ve played two finals against Barcelona. Only a few teams can hold them for 120 minutes, and Sevilla almost did that.
“If I was born 100 times, 100 times I’d be a sevillista. It’s a luxury.
“We must thank everyone individually for what we’ve experienced, and it was a tremendous show [that we put on].
“Now’s the time to celebrate the Europa League and thank the fans [for their support].
“Winning a trophy is very difficult. Only three Spanish teams will have won trophies this season, and one of them are Sevilla.”
