© EuroFootball.com
The coach of Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven, Ronald Koeman, was crushed and disappointed after a devastating loss in the first Champions League quarterfinal match.
"If I told my players that we still have a chance to advance to the next stage, I would be from another planet. The result is painful and doesn't give us any chance of revenge after a week in Liverpool," said the coach.
Liverpool triumphed at "Phillips" stadium on Tuesday with goals from Steven Gerrard, John Arne Riise, and Peter Crouch, resulting in a 3-0 victory.
"Before the Champions League quarterfinal, we had a great performance. But the absence of key players was a big loss for us, and we had no one to replace them," said R. Koeman, referring to "PSV" leaders Alex and Arouna Kone's injuries.
"Liverpool", who stumbled against R. Koeman's "Benfica" last season, coach Rafa Benitez said he took advantage of the opponent's losses: "We knew about 'PSV's' biggest problems and did our job. We simply took advantage of the opponent's club losses."
However, the Spanish strategist does not promise to relax: "We understand that we practically advanced to the next stage, but in football, you must always stay focused and concentrated in every match. I am pleased with the result, but disappointed with Fabio Aurelio's injury."
The "Liverpool" defender is suspected of having torn his Achilles tendon in yesterday's match.
In the return match, the "Reds" will also have to do without forward Dirk Kuyt, who received a yellow card in Eindhoven and will miss the next match.
