Valencia coach Hector Cuper was distraught after watching his side lose their second Champions League final in a row at the San Siro last night. The Spaniards went down 5-4 to Bayern Munich in a penalty shoot-out on a dramatic night in Milan which saw three spot-kicks in normal time.
“Another one has passed us by,” said Cuper, whose side were beaten by Real Madrid in last year's final. “It's a very painful moment, but we'll have to bear it.”
Valencia defender Jocelyn Angloma felt sorry for the club's fans who had to endure another night of bitter European disappointment. “It's bad luck, but that's football,” Angloma is quoted by www.onefootball.com. “The fans won't be able to celebrate again. I'm sorry. We did everything we could to win and so did Bayern, but it was very difficult. We've lost again.”
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich president Franz Beckenbauer heaped praise on German stopper Oliver Khan after he produced three stunning saves in the shoot-out. “He is the reason we won,” said Beckenbauer, who captained Bayern to their last European Cup success in 1976. “Oliver Kahn has been fantastic in the Champions League. He is the main reason that we won the cup.”
“We were the more active and better side over 120 minutes. Naturally you have to be lucky to win in a shoot-out, but this team deserved it. Three times we have lost finals and (last night) we finally won.” (PA)
Filed by Sinéad Kissane
