“It is one thing to be eliminated from the competition, but it’s another altogether to be sent home after that result and that performance.”
Understandably, there was no hiding the disappointment from Wednesday’s Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on the part of Gianluigi Buffon, but the skipper nonetheless called for his team-mates to hold their heads high after an impressive showing in Germany.
“I am very proud of the team we are,” he continued. “This match has shown us that we are playing on a different level compared to last year. We are constantly improving as a group and tonight should give us great belief in achieving our goal of going all the way in this competition within the next two years.”
That said, a player with the same experience and taste for victory as Buffon will never be content with defeat, particularly when the Bianconeri were minutes from progressing to the quarter-finals before Thomas Muller’s last-minute normal-time equaliser.
In Gigi’s words however, “That’s football.”
The Italy international concluded: “Of course we’re going to be disappointed having been two-nil up in what was a repeat really of the first leg. The thing that truly hurts is conceding with one of the last attacks of the game.”