Manager's react to last night's Champions League tie.

SIMEONE PRAISES HIS SIDE'S BATTLING QUALITIES

There is a virtue in this team, with the great work of the four and a bit years we have been together. I'm happy for these players who have come together in this team; I'm not just thinking about reaching the semi-finals, it's more important than that. There are fewer values in society all the time, but we are a group of honest workers who can win or lose. We make ourselves strong with the tools we have.Today, once again, we have won a tremendously difficult game – but a very nice one. We never stopped believing; we worked knowing the situation, knowing what we can do. In the first half the game was more like what we wanted; in the second it was closer to what they wanted. They had individuals who could break the game open, but we stayed together and stayed strong.We were up against very good opponents, with great history and with players who can change a game in any moment. It was a match between teams with different strengths, and sometimes you win and we won today.These are moments that will not return. They are unique in football. We saw loads of children on our bus journey to the stadium. They believed in us. It was a special day.Now I'm not thinking about anything other than Granada, for sure. Manchester City have enormous financial power, extraordinary players. Madrid, Bayern ... the history they have. They are all great teams. But for Atlético Madrid to be among the four best in Europe is a big step – now we can do more.

ENRIQUE GRACIOUS IN DEFEAT BUT WANTS IMPROVEMENT

It was the game we predicted, although perhaps I didn't expect Atlético to play so deep. It wasn't our best performance: we weren't sharp enough and we struggled to create chances. We really wanted to go further in this competition and rise to the challenge [of defending the title] but we congratulate Atlético Madrid.The first half was quite quiet really. Thttp://admin.myjoyonline.com/articles/edit/5/4/514482hey played their way, waiting for us and trying to score [on the break]. It's obvious we aren't at our best at the moment, especially if you consider the level we have been playing at this season. But that's football. We need to lift ourselves now.The players wanted to retain the trophy, the fans too, but today it was not to be. We are sad, of course. I expected Atlético to attack more. We weren't under pressure; we had the ball and controlled the game. They wanted to take one of their few chances, and they took advantage of our mistake to go in front. Then they did what they do best – defend in their own half. They did that very well and delivered a complete performance.We lacked a bit of cleverness. We wanted a controlled game, not end-to-end stuff. It wasn't a game for flicks and tricks. We didn't create enough dangerous situations, as we knew a goal would be very important. We had control but without much of a threat. In the second half we put more people in front of the ball and created opportunities, yet we still found it difficult.I congratulate Atlético, they were better than us. Our objectives are always the highest. We are proud that Barcelona always aim to win everything. But we must accept this result and try to improve. We have two competitions left now, with a great chance to win them. They are two attractive goals to aim for. For any other coach in world, winning those two would be enough. But we must improve.

GUARDIOLA PRAISES HIS SIDE

I congratulate the club on reaching the semi-finals for the fifth season in a row. We are pleased. We played as well as we should do and as well as we wanted to, which meant we had many chances to score. I want to congratulate all the staff but especially the players. As people know, we've had some problems in defence recently, but we did it. We want to reach the final now.We had the game under control until their goal. Until then they had not created anything. At this level, strikers are all decent and they scored even without Jonas and [Kostas] Mitroglou. That proves that in the Champions League you need a big squad to compete. We responded well to the Raúl Jiménez goal. We were solid and Arturo Vidal's goal calmed us.Recently there's been a suggestion that if we don't win the Champions League we have failed. I cannot do anything about that. We have won so many matches these past three seasons, expectations are high.Benfica are a super team. With Jonas, Mitrouglou and Nicolás Gaitán in their side they would be even stronger. That definitely helped us but we deserved to go through.It's normal that Cristiano Ronaldo would have wanted to play Benfica as he is Portuguese. Manchester City are a possibility, so are Real and Atlético. We are happy to be here and will play anyone.

VITORIA TAKES THE POSITIVE FROM DEFEAT

We wanted to win. Although we didn't, we have to take the positives from this tie. We played two great matches against one of the best teams in the world. We competed until the last minute, always believing in our football. I am sad we are out, but happy with what my players did against very strong opponents. The fans appreciated it too, as you could see from their reaction. Benfica showed the rest of Europe what we can do today. It was a joyful occasion. After 5,000 fans came to Munich, we had the stadium full again today and that gives us pride. The supporters understand that we are all together and they want to get behind us. They make a big difference.Of course we would have loved to continue in the competition. We performed well all the way through but we fell against one of the best sides in the world. Now, as usual, the next game is all that matters. If we keep working hard hopefully there will be more European campaigns like this in the future.

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