Hrebík rues key miss

AC Sparta Praha coach Jaroslav Hrebík was left to rue a missed opportunity as his side lost 3-0 at Real Madrid CF in Tuesday's UEFA Champions League tie.

Decisive error
Sparta bowed out of the competition at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium after three goals in eleven second-half minutes ruined their match plan, but according to their coach it could have been different if Jirí Novotny had tucked away a 54th-minute chance. Novotny was left unmarked after a beautifully flighted free-kick but screwed his shot across the face of goal from a tight angle.

'A very good opportunity'
"Novotny had a very good opportunity to score," said Hrebík. "Going 1-0 up would have changed the final result. Just after the miss, Real scored with their first opportunity. That was the difference."

Severe injury problems
Sparta held Madrid at bay for 60 minutes as they defended deep and tried to hit the Spanish side on the break, and Hrebík admitted that with the severe injury problems in his side, he had been left with little option but to play a cautious game.

'It fell apart'
"After the first goal, it fell apart," said the coach. "We prepared for the match very well - we knew that Real Madrid play a very offensive passing game. Our players knew that we must stop them passing, intercept the ball and attack quickly. We did this until the 60th minute but when Real scored the first goal, we lost our capabilities."

'A great shock'
"The goal was a great shock for us," he added. "Real scored three goals in eleven minutes. We were out of the game. Some of our players were just recovered from injuries and they were not in the best condition but Real went for the victory and deserved to win."

Del Bosque overjoyed
Madrid coach Vicente del Bosque was understandably delighted with the result, especially since he had elected to rest many of his side's most famous players for the game since Madrid had already qualified for the next stage of the competition.

Praise for Savio
"I am happy with the performance of the fringe players in the team, such as Geremi, Albert Celades and Flavio Conceição," he said. "Furthermore, Savio has played a great second half, has scored a goal and it is a pleasure for us to have him back from injury. He will be a great help."

'Fluid, attacking game'
The coach agreed with his opposite number's assessment of the importance of the Santiago Solari goal which broke the deadlock between the two sides after 60 minutes. "The key of the match was the first goal," he said. "Then Sparta fell apart and we played a very good second half. I am so satisfied that we have played such a fluid, attacking game."

'We are Real Madrid'
Del Bosque also issued a stern warning to his side's quarter-final opponents after completing their fifth consecutive win in the second group stage. "We have completed two great phases," he said. "I do not care either way whether we play the first leg at home or away in the quarter-finals. We are Real Madrid - the first team to qualify for quarter-finals - so the rest of teams should be looking out for us."

Barcelona next
However, in the short term, Madrid's attention will turn to the vital Premier División game against Barcelona FC at the weekend, and Celades admitted that this victory would help them prepare for the critical tie.

'We are absolutely ready'
"From this moment all our minds are 100 per cent upon next Saturday's match against Barcelona," said the Andorran. "It will make winning the championship a lot easier. We have won five out of five matches in the second group stage, and we are absolutely ready to face Barcelona next Saturday and the quarter-finals in April."