Real Madrid boss Santiago Solari felt his side deserved more for their efforts after losing 3-0 to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey.
Barca secured the win in the second leg of their semi-final against El Clasico rivals Real to win 4-1 on aggregate after two second-half efforts from Luis Suarez and Raphael Varane’s own goal.
Related: Solari – Isco Should Know Better
Real were the better side for long periods at the Bernabeu Stadium as they looked to build on the advantage of their away goal following a 1-1 draw in the first leg.
Solari admitted he found the result hard to take given his side had been on the front foot for extended spells during the second leg.
“After all of our efforts and having fought until the final whistle, having made chances and dominating for so long in the game, this result really hurts,” Solari told a press conference.
“We went out with our heads held high but we are not happy about it, we are now focusing our energy on our next clash with Barcelona.
“They showed just how solid they are. We had all those chances and if we had scored them we might have made it to the final.” Vinicius Junior caused Barca plenty of problems with his trickery and pace, but the Brazilian squandered several golden chances, while visiting goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen made some outstanding saves.
Ter Stegen’s best effort denied Sergio Reguilon, whose goalbound second-half header would have hauled Solari’s side level on the night. “We were very good and we were organised,” Solari added.
“We had a lot of energy and we created a lot of chances, but we didn’t score from them. “Work, organisation, mobility. We had everything and we can add to that what we were lacking – the goals.”
