Miguel Rivera revealed his sadness at ending his 'Cinderella story' but was proud of his Almeria players despite Friday's 4-1 defeat to Real Madrid.
The Andalucians were left kicking themselves after they missed a penalty at 2-1 down, but the caretaker Coach was delighted to have seen his side momentarily rise to the challenge against Los Blancos in his one and only game at the helm.
"Small details and the extraordinary quality of our opposition made the difference," he admitted after the match.
"We wanted to surprise and attack them, although our attack may have lacked precision.
"We created the game's first opening and scored a magnificent goal to draw level, but we were unlucky to have not gone in 1-1 at half-time.
"The penalty save was also a masterful action from Iker. The 2-2 would have been a catalyst for us, but the 1-3 killed us.
"But I want to congratulate the players, and I hope we go forward with this attitude.
"I didn't want to leave this Cinderella story without saying that we tried, we've been dreaming about this for a long time.
"We had to take risks when we were 1-2 down. When you have nothing, you have very little to lose. Even the supporters were enjoying themselves.
"But then you have to put any penalties away. Still, I gave Verza a hug because he scored a great goal. I'd have been upset if we didn't have the courage to stand up to Madrid."
