Europa League

Pasquale Marino Proud Of Udinese Players Despite UEFA Cup Elimination

The boss of the Bianconeri was extremely proud with the performance of his players against Bremen.

Apr 17, 2009 12:31:40 AM

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Pasquale Marino, Udinese (Grazia Neri)

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Pasquale Marino

Udinese were bundled out of the UEFA Cup, despite an entertaining 3-3 draw in the second leg of their quarter final tie against Werder Bremen. The Bianconeri were knocked out of the competition 4-6 on aggregate, which came as a result of their 3-1 defeat in Germany one week ago.

Despite finding themselves 3-1 up at the break in their most recent meeting though, mainly thanks to a brilliant brace by Fabio Quagliarella, the Italians failed to hold on, as Diego and Claudio Pizarro scored the decisive goals in the second half to kill off any hope they had.

It was an extremely impressive performance by Udinese, one that certainly pleased their coach Pasquale Marino.

“Obviously there is some bitterness at being eliminated, however I am very proud of how we approached and played this game,” Marino affirmed in an interview with Sky.

“I would like to emphasize the fact that the boys gave everything they had tonight, and their commitment was rightfully appreciated by the fans.”

Udinese had never reached a quarter final of a European competition prior to this one, so this particular campaign will always be remembered as one of the most successful in the club’s history.

Marino continued, “We made it to the quarter finals, and made history for the club in the process. We created a lot of opportunities and people enjoyed watching us, so it is a pity not to have progressed further.

“We played 12 wonderful games in the UEFA Cup, and we have managed to match it against all of our opponents. We learnt some new things and as a result we have grown as a team.”

Adrian Del Monte, Goal.com