Hansi Flick says Barcelona ‘deserved to be in the semi-final’ following their Champions League elimination against Atletico Madrid.
The Blaugrana were trailing 2-0 from the first leg and needed a big comeback on Tuesday to make it to the final four.
Lamine Yamal reduced the deficit in the fifth minute when he slid the ball under goalkeeper Juan Musso.
Barca levelled the tie midway through the half, as Ferran Torres picked out the top corner with a fine left-footed strike.
However, Atletico restored their aggregate lead on the half-hour mark when Ademola Lookman finished past Joan Garcia after being brilliantly set up by Marcos Llorente.
Torres put the ball into the net early in the second half, but his effort was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.
The visitors were reduced to 10 men after Eric Garcia received a red card for tripping Alexander Sorloth.
Barcelona desperately pushed for an equaliser but their La Liga rivals held on to seal a 3-2 victory on aggregate.
Flick said: “I’m very proud of the team’s performance and the way we played. Over the two matches, we deserved to reach the semi-finals.”
Barcelona made a valiant effort in Madrid, but they ultimately came up short after conceding twice in the first leg.
The Blaugrana haven’t reached the Champions League final since 2015, when they defeated Juventus to become European champions.
Barcelona won the La Liga title last season and are on course to defend their crown this term.
They are nine points clear at the top of the league table with seven games remaining.
However, success in Europe continues to elude the Spanish giants.
