Courtois: “It's tough to fall short just before the final"

Thibaut Courtois and Dani Carvajal spoke to the press following the clash with Manchester City. The goalkeeper underlined: “They really pressed us high from the start, not letting us play the ball out and they pressured with a lot of players so we were penned back in our area. We dealt with it pretty well early on but we didn't manage to impose ourselves, create chances or cause them any problems. They were very comfortable and they got the goal. We struggled to get into the game." 

“If Kroos' shot had gone in, perhaps it would have altered the course of the game. Their second goal came after an unfortunate rebound and those kind of things have gone against us this year. We started pretty well after half-time but we struggled to create chances today and we didn't pass the ball cleanly."
 
Analysis
“We'll have to watch it back because it's not easy to see the game from the goal-line. We took a while to make any fouls, the second balls all fell to them and we missed a lot of easy passes. Anyway, it's not easy to hurt them if we spend the whole time chasing the ball. We had to win the ball back more quickly and stream forward because they always had seven or eight guys in our half but we just didn't manage to do it."

"The way we lost is the worst thing. You can lose a game in extra time or on penalties, 2-1 or 1-0. That can hurt if you've given your all on the pitch. But it's a very heavy defeat. We have to be proud of the way we've come this far. It's tough to fall short just before the final, but we lost to a great team. In the English League they are unstoppable. This wasn't our best game and if we're not at our best this happens."
 
Carvajal: "We will come back stronger and work very hard to reach another final"
"The opposition were better in this game from start to finish. They subdued us and that is reflected in the result. We were a little bit on the back foot early on. When the team took a step forward after the break, we had a good spell."
 
"I want to thank the fans for coming out. We'll come back stronger and work very hard to get back to another final. This stadium is very difficult and they are strong at home. After the first leg we thought we were going to play a better game on the ball."
 
Reflection
"There are still games left, we will try to finish as high as possible in the league and respect our opponents. On 4 June we will evaluate everything. It's a shame not to be in another final. Our opponents were better and we have to congratulate them. We have to keep our heads up because there is still a lot to do and we have people who want to achieve a great success."