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Londono kapitonas John Terry apologized to his teammates for being sent off in the Champions League semi-final match against .
The England national team member had to leave the field in the first half after deliberately pushing opponent Alexi Sanchez in the back. However, this did not prevent Chelsea from achieving a favorable result of 2-2 and advancing to the tournament final.
"I watched the video - the episode really looks bad," Terry said. "But I'm not the kind of player who tries to hurt others on purpose.
"I'm disappointed, but incredibly happy for the guys. Coming here, showing such a game, and earning a ticket to the final playing outnumbered is fantastic. But I let them down. I already apologized in the dressing room, and I'm doing the same now by addressing Chelsea fans."
His protege and coach Roberto Di Matteo defended him: "Terry is an excellent leader and captain. Everyone can make mistakes, so we should be happy that it did not prevent us from achieving the desired result. I am not angry with him - we all felt the pressure."
And he continued: "Many wrote us off even before the semi-final matches, but the players showed character. We did not expect to play outnumbered. Barcelona has a great team, but we have achieved incredibly much, so we will only think about the final.
"In the last 45 minutes, tactics were not the most important thing. The essence was to withstand the pressure and fight for a place in the final with honor and passion. We always believed. We wouldn't have achieved so much if we didn't believe."
