Barcelona assistant manager Jordi Roura described last night's 4-0 thrashing by Bayern Munich as an "awful result" with the Catalan club's hopes of reaching the Champions League final all but over.
Two goals from Thomas Muller and one each from Mario Gomez and Arjen Robben gave Jupp Heynckes' side an advantage which leaves the Catalans little hope of turning things around at the Nou Camp next Wednesday.
While Barca can never be underestimated, it will require a turnaround of colossal proportions to prevent Bayern from reaching their third Champions League final in four years.
Given the manner of the Bundesliga side’s domination, it is nigh-on inconceivable they will not be walking out at Wembley on May 25th.
While Roura insists Barcelona will fight tooth and nail to overturn the deficit, he acknowledged the damage caused by the demolition. He told reporters: “The players are sad and frustrated.
“This was a game that we were excited about and the result is awful. We’re all sad but this is football. We have to keep on going. The defeat is very painful and it complicates our chances of getting to the final.” Roura added: “We will try to turn this tie around in the return leg.
“Miracles are hard to get and the 4-0 result is complicated, but our obligation is to fight as hard as we can. We will keep on trying until the referee blows the final whistle.”
While critical of the referee, Roura also pointed to Bayern’s greater physical presence although that did not give sufficient credit to the nature of the Germans’ domination.
“In the first half we competed well but they scored from a set piece and we knew coming into the match that they were a physical side; strong and powerful. In the first half we had our options.
“What hurt us the most was the second goal. We tried to carry on but Bayern made it very difficult.”
Lionel Messi returned to the squad last night after missing Barca's last three league matches with a hamstring problem.
He was well-marshaled at the Allianz Arena but Roura praised the effort he had made to even just be on the field.
He said: “Leo put in an incredible effort to be here. He managed to play the 90 minutes and he did what he could. I’m proud of how hard he worked to be here.”
