Ståle: - We are now in a good position

Following F.C. Copenhagen’s enthralling 1-1 draw with FC Barcelona at PARKEN on Tuesday, head coach Ståle Solbakken met the press to discuss his teams performance in the UEFA Champions League Group D tie:

by Joe Short

- It was a very impressive performance by us. We met the best team in the world. We played even with them for long periods, and were better than them for short periods. All in all I couldn’t be prouder. We could have lost tonight, but we could also have won.

The Lions manager was then asked for his views over FCK’s position in Group D: one point behind Barcelona and four ahead of third-placed Rubin Kazan:

- We are now in a good position (in the group), but the next game will be as difficult as this one. They (Kazan) don’t let in goals, and so this will be a difficult game for us. We are not there yet. With the same kind of performance, hopefully we can take points in both remaining games.

There was an incident in the early stages of the first half, where Victor Valdés, the Barcelona goalkeeper, collided with Dame N’Doye, which resulted in the Senegalese striker having immediate medical treatment as he lay prostrate on the ground. Asked about this incident, Solbakken said:

- From my point of view it was a very nasty situation. I don’t know if it was a sending off; I don’t know if N’Doye was first on the ball. I couldn’t see it from my position, so I must see it again.

Solbakken’s managerial counterpart Josep Guardiola also received questions from the media at the post-match press conference. On the subject of progression to the knockout stages of the Champions League, Guardiola had this to say:

- I think FCK and Barcelona are favourites to qualify from the group now. But we have to play two more games still. All four teams are champions in our respective leagues, so we still have to fight; we all have to fight.