No excuses, says Vermaelen

Results

Date	Time	C	Opponent	F	A	R	S
06 Apr	7:45 PM	CL	Barcelona (A)	1	4	Lost

Thomas Vermaelen says Arsenal can have no complaints after being dumped out of the Champions League by Barcelona.

The Gunners were dazzled by a sensational display from Lionel Messi, who scored all four in Barca's 4-1 win.

Vermaelen accepts that Arsenal were second best to the European Champions, and that despite their best efforts, the quality of the opposition was too great on the night.

Speaking to Arsenal TV Online after the game, he said: "We came here to get a good result, we wanted to get through and the first goal for good for us, but we couldn't keep the score on our side for too long. They made the 1-1 very quickly.

"We did everything we could today but we couldn't win because of their quality."

The Belgian admits that Arsenal have had some rotten luck with injuries this season, but doesn't want to use that as an excuse for the result.

He said: "We missed some big players and that's difficult for us but it's no excuse.

"We still had eleven players on the pitch and we had to do the best we could, and today it wasn't enough for a good result."

Arsène Wenger hailed Messi as the best player in the world after his display, and Vermaelen admits that there's not much any defence can do against a player in such top form.

He said: "He scored four goals, he played very well today.

"It was difficult for us to defend because he knows where the space is, and if you give them too much room then you'll be in trouble."

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