Rubi: 'If we had to lose, let it be with the character we showed'

UD Almería head coach Joan Francesc Ferrer Sicilia 'Rubi' shared his post-Oviedo thoughts in the Carlos Tartiere stadium press room to discuss the play-off semi-final. 'If we had to lose, let it be with the character we showed, with the number of chances we created. We must congratulate our opponents, who were able to score one more goal than us. If you ask me if I'd repeat the tie, I definitely say yes because we played good football... We lacked luck in some situations in front of goal,' he explained.

The UD Almería gaffer highlighted the quality of the Asturias hosts and the difficulty of both legs: 'It's impossible to suffer fewer chances from such powerful opponents; the 3 chances they had between the first and second legs were all converted in goals, but this is football, and it's another lesson.'

The Catalan revealed how his players feel after being knocked out from the play-offs: 'There's sadness, there's anger because we want to play in the top flight, not because how the tie went. I reckon I can barely blame on the team. We remain in Segunda and that wasn't our idea.'

Finally, the Vilassar de Mar native addressed the absence, due to international duty, of two key players for the team at a crucial moment: Marc Pubill and Luis Suárez: 'They're two players you could put in the league's ideal starting XI; Perovic wasn't there either and although he played little, he's an option. It's so obvious that what happened is an absolute act of adulteration, which will be assessed when the time comes, but today the important thing is that UD Almería didn't advance and Real Oviedo did.'