Matchwinner Alexis Sanchez still did not feel he was at his best after his double gave Barcelona a 3-1 advantage over Bayer Leverkusen in their Champions League last-16 tie.
The Chile forward twice put Barca ahead at the BayArena - Michal Kadlec levelled for the hosts - before Lionel Messi rounded off the victory late on.
But despite scoring his first two Champions League goals, Sanchez, who joined from Udinese in the summer, played down his performance.
"I scored two goals, but a team-mate gave me the opportunity to do it," he told www.fcbarcelona.com. "I took advantage of the room they gave me.
"I always like to give more of myself in each game, but I still don't feel completely comfortable."
Once again, following Saturday's 3-2 defeat at Osasuna which saw them fall 10 points behind Real Madrid in the Primera Division, Barca were far from their sparkling best.
But midfielder Cesc Fabregas was delighted with the result.
He said: "There were reasons we played like we did in the first half. They are a very physical team.
"Perhaps this kind of play is a bit boring but that's the kind of play we needed to employ.
"We're always excited [to play] even though it can appear otherwise from the outside.
"The team always has the same level of excitement and the same motivation. The boss won't let us give up.
"They can complicate the whole game with one counter-attack but we dominated the situation. We're very pleased.
"What happened in Pamplona was a disappointment because we let the league slip away, but the Champions League is the most beautiful competition there is."
Post Comment
