Funes: “We want to experience something exciting that once seemed impossible not long ago”
The Málaga CF coach held a press conference after the draw against Racing Santander. “We have earned this moment on merit. Very beautiful moments are coming, and the players are ready,” he said.
End of the season
“They were already a team in the top flight who wanted to be champions. We knew they were coming for the title, they came at us with everything; the team had a few chances to go into halftime 2-0 up. We kept them alive in the game and, especially with Vicente’s introduction, the match took a different direction. But we have to be satisfied, we did an outstanding job, and we have to stay calm. We are there and now we can start doing the maths. We go into the final matchday with possibilities, with many positions still to be decided in the standings. Zaragoza, in their last home game, we know how difficult that will be. We have shown that we are capable of competing in all contexts. The most important thing is that we experience something exciting that once seemed impossible not long ago. And we need to adjust everything to play the best possible match in Zaragoza. We have earned this moment on merit, very beautiful moments are coming, and the players are ready.”
Tough match against the leaders
“We all wanted the three points. Racing were good as well. We could have closed the game, we had chances, and if anyone thought a match against a top-flight team was going to be easy, we’ve shown we are capable of competing. I think only Castellón has the goal average over us; against everyone else, we’ve won it. We’ve been better than them over two matches. This team has shown it can be better than Las Palmas, Almería, Eibar, Burgos, Deportivo de La Coruña… if that doesn’t excite people, I don’t know what will. It won’t be easy, we know that, but there is a lot of excitement and desire. We are in a very special moment to take advantage of an opportunity the lads have earned on merit.”
Zaragoza: most important match of the year
“If there is one thing that is irrefutable, it is the numbers. Three is three, not two and a half. If we’ve done it before, we can do it again. I don’t want to convince anyone. We know there is one last match left and we must give everything to win it. It is the most important game of the year, the next one. We have to prepare for it properly, as it deserves, with full focus, and enjoy something that the ‘kids’ have earned on merit. There are opportunities that life gives you, and you have to seize them with both hands.”
Depending on ourselves
“The numbers say that everyone has a chance to get in. We have to live it with the excitement of being up there. Everyone will feel pressure, and the numbers say that we need to win in Zaragoza. And that other teams do too, so we just have to approach our match and that’s it.”