RAFA: I'M VERY PROUD OF MY PLAYERS

Steve Hunter 06 March 2007

Rafael Benitez couldn't hide his delight at seeing Liverpool go through to the last eight of the Champions League and said he was immensely proud of his team.
The Liverpool manager felt his side deserved to go through despite the 1-0 second leg defeat and also praised the supporters for being the twelfth man. "I am very proud of my players and our supporters," enthused Benitez. The atmosphere was amazing and that's why I always say we have the best supporters in the world. "I am disappointed we conceded a goal and lost the match on the night but we deserved to go through. "We deserved to score a lot of goals in the first half and even in the second when Barcelona had more possession we had chances on the break. "We weren't finishing the opportunities we were creating but we worked so hard. We managed to hang on and and made sure we qualified."