So near but so far for Ricardo

Beaten but not bowed, CA Osasuna can look back with immense pride on their UEFA Cup campaign according to their goalkeeper Ricardo López.

'Incredible'
The Pamplona side ultimately fell short of the Glasgow showpiece after their 1-0 semi-final first-leg lead was overturned by Sevilla FC on Thursday, Luis Fabiano and Renato steering the holders to a 2-0 win with goals either side of half-time. "We have to be proud of what we've achieved," said Ricardo, whose side crammed as many European outings into this season as in their three previous bids put together. "We know this was the opportunity of our lives so we are a little sad, but for a club like Osasuna to reach the semi-finals is an incredible thing. We can go home with our heads held high."

Impressive wins
Victories against established continental campaigners including Parma FC, Rangers FC and Bayer 04 Leverkusen ought to bode well for the Spanish side in the future, but former Manchester United FC custodian Ricardo dared not look that far ahead. Seven points clear of the drop-zone with six Primera División fixtures left to play, the 14th-placed team must first ensure their top-flight survival. "Before we can think about encouraging signs we have to guarantee we'll be in the first division next year," he said. "It's very important to get the wins we need as soon as possible because we could still find ourselves in trouble. The mentality of the players will be crucial now and we have to pick ourselves up immediately."

Mental strength
The impression they have given on the continental stage this season is that their mentality is one of their greatest strengths, and 36-year-old Ricardo insisted the incredible atmosphere at Sevilla's Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán played no role in his team's exit. "We weren't intimidated because we play a lot of games like this in Spain," he explained. "Obviously there was a lot of noise but we always try to play our style of football regardless. In the end we couldn't score an away goal and that's why we're not in the final. Sevilla scored twice and they deserve to go through. We didn't get too many chances and couldn't find a head when we sent long balls forward late on, but the good thing is we were still in the tie right up until the end."