Rijkaard saddened by final Nou Camp defeat
MADRID: Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard gave a rare display of emotion after his side's 3-2 loss to Real Mallorca on Sunday, admitting he was upset that his last match at the Nou Camp had ended in defeat.
Barca surrendered a two-goal lead and ended up slumping to its third defeat in four league games when Primera Liga leading scorer Dani Guiza struck his 26th goal of the season for the islander four minutes into stoppage time.
The defeat, which followed Barca's 4-1 thrashing by archrival Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on Wednesday, sparked angry protests from the home fans who jeered the players and called for club president Joan Laporta's resignation.
"It was a very sad night," the Dutchman told reporters. "We expected this sort of reaction, but as coach I'm sad that we had to play in an atmosphere like that.
"I didn't expect the end of the season to be so difficult. It hasn't been easy and we haven't been able to change the dynamics of the team. It is very difficult to play when things are like that."
The defeat came just three days after the club announced that Rijkaard would not complete the remaining year on his contract and would be replaced by former captain Pep Guardiola as coach at the end of the season.
Rijkaard, who has been largely exempt from the recent criticism and has been praised for the way he has conducted himself during his five years as Barca coach, was cheered by fans every time he got out of the dugout during Sunday's match.
Agencies
(China Daily 05/14/2008 page22)
