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London's "Chelsea" club strategist Jose Mourinho admitted after losing the UEFA Champions League match that the opponents were stronger.
The leaders of Group E had to acknowledge the superiority of the "Basel" team on Tuesday evening in Switzerland with a score of 1-0.
Portuguese also rejoices that the team managed to reach the tournament's quarterfinals.
"We deserved this defeat, but thanks to favorable results we made it to the quarterfinals. That's the only positive thing. Now we need to achieve a good result against the 'Steaua' footballers," said the 50-year-old specialist.
"I didn't like the view on the field from the first minute, when we made a mistake in defense. The team played a bit more stable only in the second half."
"The team was tired, so we paid for it. The players were exhausted by the national team break, the trip, and also the match with 'West Ham' team, which was draining," continued the Portuguese.
"I'm not upset by this, because I understand the situation. The team lacked rest and I probably should have made more changes in the lineup, but these players played very well against the 'West Ham' team, so I couldn't resist the temptation to put them back on the field," Mourinho concluded.
"Chelsea" players are leading Group E with 9 points. In the last match, the "Schalke" and "Basel" teams will fight each other for the second ticket to the quarterfinals.
