Elyounoussi on 'proud' display in Camp Nou
Mohammed Elyounoussi says defeat at Camp Nou was hard to take but hopes the F.C. Copenhagen players and fans will be proud of the combined effort on Wednesday night, despite the 4-1 defeat to FC Barcelona.
Viktor Dadason opened the scoring for FCK and we came close to going two up in the final Champions League game of the League Phase, before Barca broke level.
In the end, the hosts ran away with the three points – and Elyounoussi was philosophical about the result afterwards.
"We had a game plan, and we followed it really well, and had a really good first half," he told FCK.dk. "We thought that it could work. We executed it really well and they were a bit frustrated, I think, in the first half, although obviously they created a lot of chances as well.
"We have to have a bit of luck, which we had, and when we came into the dressing room at half time we had a good feeling. But obviously when we came out second half, they started with a different energy and pushed us back.
"If we'd been a bit more calm on the ball, with more quality, there was space to pay into, especially with the high line that they have.
"But we couldn't, unfortunately, find it and they showed why they are one of the best teams in the world.
"I think when we look back tomorrow, we will be proud of our team effort today, absolutely."
'Nice to give Dadason an assist'
At 31, Elyounoussi has played plenty of European football since joining FCK in 2023 – and earlier in his career, too.
He lined up alongside 17-year-old Dadason, while William Clem was another starter who has come through FCK's Talent Department.
Discussing his role helping the youngsters come through, Elyounoussi says: "I think our academy prepares our young players well for games like this. They prepare the players really well so that when they come up to the first team they know what's expected of them.
"This is football, you know, and any mistake can cost you dearly. It's exciting for players like me that the young players are coming through and I can help them out in the early stages of their career. So today, for me personally, it was nice to give Dadason an assist."
Around 2,300 FCK fans could be heard supporting the team high up in Camp Nou on Wednesday and Elyounoussi says he hoped they return to Copenhagen proud of the team.
"They've been amazing since I came to the club, the support they give us is incredible," he says. "In the circumstances we are in, especially now with the domestic league, we need their backing.
"But I think we have given them a lot to shout about in this Champions League campaign, and they have been pushing us, supporting us all the way through.
"That's something we, of course, really appreciate, and we hope we sent them home proud today, even though we didn't get the result we wanted."
