Julen Lopetegui on the touchline at Villarreal

First team

JULEN LOPETEGUI: "THE TEAM HAD THE CHARACTER TO BE ABLE TO FIGHT UNTIL THE FINAL WHISTLE"

08/05/2022

"We were up against a team that can dominate and defeat any team that comes to their ground"

Sevilla FC head coach, Julen Lopetegui, spoke to the media following the draw to Villarreal: "We've come away with a point at a complicated and difficult place to visit. We were up against a team that can dominate and defeat any team that comes to their ground. It was a complex game. There were occasions when they were better. We had the best chance to break the deadlock in the second half with Rafa Mir going in one-on-one. Football has a principle that when you don't take your chances, it punishes you. What happened next was exactly that and they scored. Fortunately, the team had the character to be able to fight until the final whistle and we got a draw at a tough place to go. We are point short of reaching our goal."

The Sevilla FC boss gave credit to his players for not giving in: "In the closing stages, when you equalise in added on time, you get that feeling. You can't say that this team doesn't have faith nor that it doesn't work hard. There were times where we could have done things better. Also, the team didn't stop competing and we got a well-fought point. It's time to think forward and recover quickly. In three days, against Mallorca, we have a complex game and we have to recover well."