A reality check: that is what Antwerp experienced in Barcelona. 5-0, pack up and go. This is what the Antwerp players had to say afterwards.
Alderweireld: “Knew this could happen”
“There is disappointment,” said captain Toby Alderweireld at VTM. “We started well, but then it quickly became 1-0 and then 3-0, while Barça didn’t even have many chances. There was a difference in quality, that’s not a bad thing to admit. We started the match with courage, but at a certain point you have to play compact football, because you don’t want to leave the field 9-0. I’ve been around football long enough, I knew this could happen, this is a big step for a lot of boys. Let us not draw too many conclusions from this. We can learn from this as a club and group, we must make progress in order to perform better on the next matchdays – then we must respond. Let us remain calm.”
Frenkie de Jong: “Seemed easy, but it wasn’t”
“I understand that this result is less pleasant for Antwerp and the Belgians,” said Barcelona player Frenkie de Jong. “It looked easy because of that early 3-0, but it wasn’t. I am satisfied, we wanted to start well and show that we are ready for the Champions League. Before the match I had a chat with Vincent Janssen (ex-teammate at Oranje, ed.) spoken, afterwards too. (laughs) He was in a better mood beforehand, Oh well, he’s a good boy, I get along well with him.”
