Valverde promises happy ending

Ernesto Valverde promised RCD Espanyol supporters a happy ending to their UEFA Cup adventure following their 3-0 win over Werder Bremen in the semi-final first leg in Barcelona. Valverde was a member of the Espanyol team who took a 3-0 lead to Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the 1988 UEFA Cup final – and lost on penalties after a 3-0 reverse. This time will be different, he pledged. "Back then in the film the Germans won but now we want to change the ending," he said. His Bremen counterpart, Thomas Schaaf, lamented the "succession of errors" that the Bundesliga side made, including a wild challenge from goalkeeper Tim Wiese which earned a red card.

Ernesto Valverde, Espanyol coach
We played a great match but football is about mistakes and they made too many. We achieved a great result against an excellent team but it is not definitive. We put a lot into the game and there was not one key factor – we've made a big effort in the UEFA Cup this season and have a very special motivation. We have been scoring goals and we are an organised team. When we were two up, we played a tactical game and knew that every time they lost the ball, we would hurt them with our counterattacks. We don't want to be overconfident, though, because we know we will suffer a lot in the return match.

Thomas Schaaf, Bremen coach
We will have to play an incredible match and make a huge effort but we know we can turn this kind of tie around. Espanyol were a very capable team and everything they did came off. But on our part we made too many mistakes. The sending-off was a fair decision and it was the culmination of a succession of errors from us tonight.