Spanish is best, says Irureta
Tuesday, March 12, 2002
Article summary
Javier Irureta heralded RC Deportivo La Coruña's 2-0 win over Arsenal FC as a victory for Spain.
Article body
Javier Irureta watched his RC Deportivo La Coruña side book their place in the quarter-final stage of the UEFA Champions League and heralded it as a victory for Spain.
Spanish league is strongest
Goals from Juan Valerón and Nourredine Naybet gave Deportivo victory over Arsenal FC and the three points they needed to reach the last eight, and Irureta was delighted. He said: "This result proves the Spanish league is the strongest in Europe and it shows the smaller sides can succeed. Deportivo are better than Manchester United [FC], Arsenal and Liverpool [FC]. But I hope Arsenal go through - they would have come back if they had scored the penalty."
We were unlucky
Thierry Henry squandered a penalty kick midway through the second half and Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger left Highbury cursing his side's luck. He said: "If the penalty had gone in we would have come back. Deportivo were much stronger in the first half but we were unlucky to go two goals down before half-time. We reacted well and gave everything until the last minute but couldn't get it back to 2-1.
Fantastic performances
"We have had over two months of fantastic performances but we were not as sharp tonight. We have games coming thick and fast but we still have a good chance to go through. This is a big disappointment for us tonight, but Deportivo are a good side - among the best in Europe."
Fear of flying
While Deportivo can look forward to the knockout stages, Arsenal must travel to Juventus FC next Wednesday and match Bayer 04 Leverkusen's result in Spain to qualify. The task will be made even harder for the London club by the absence of Dutch striker Dennis Bergkamp, who has a fear of flying. Bergkamp said: "It's no longer in our hands, which is disappointing. So for Juventus, I'm available, but it's up to the manager."
Domestic priorities
Wenger added: "I don't think Bergkamp will travel to Turin; it is a very long journey. But my next priority is the FA Premiership match against Aston Villa [FC] at the weekend and not Juventus next week."
