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Mixed emotions Leeds, Valencia move on as Deportivo, Arsenal rue fates
MADRID (Reuters) -- Deportivo Coruna coach Javier Irureta bemoaned his side's bad luck in their Champions League defeat by Leeds United -- and then tipped Valencia to beat the English team in the semifinals. Deportivo, which went down 3-0 to Leeds in the first leg of their quarterfinal at Elland Road, regained some pride by winning 2-0 in the return on Tuesday night with a Djalminha penalty and a goal from Diego Tristan. But Irureta was left to rue what might have been after his team hit the frame of the goal three times in what was almost a spectacular comeback at the Riazor stadium. "We didn't have a great deal of luck," Irureta said in an interview with Onda Cero radio on Wednesday. "We made it difficult for ourselves with a bad result away from home but we scored twice here, hit the post three times and might have had another penalty." The reward for Leeds is a semifinal clash with Valencia, who went through on the away goals rule against Arsenal after a stunning John Carew header earned the Spaniards a 1-0 win in the second leg and a 2-2 draw on aggregate. Valencia superior Irureta is convinced last year's Champions League runners-up can now book a place in the final for the second successive year. "Leeds are a very good team but I believe Valencia are superior," Irureta said. "Leeds scored their goals against us from set pieces, where they are at their most dangerous, and Valencia will have to watch out at free-kicks and corners. "I'm sure they won't concede three goals at Elland Road, though. "Ian Harte is a real threat, Mark Viduka is a good player and Alan Smith works very hard and runs a lot, but if they get their tactics right Valencia will come through the tie." Valencia coach Hector Cuper paid tribute to his players for the way they coped with the pressure against an Arsenal side who were on top early in the second half. "We resisted well during some difficult moments in the second half," said Cuper. "Arsenal were capable of scoring at any moment but Carew scored a great goal from a great cross." Looking forward to the semifinals, he added: "We always wanted to play Leeds rather than Deportivo just because as two Spanish teams we already know so much about each other. "Leeds are a strong team, very tough, even if perhaps they don't have the individual quality of Deportivo. "The semifinal will be a game with lots of fight and spirit from both sides." Valencia's success at the Mestalla stadium on Tuesday leaves open the possibility of a repeat of last season's final, when Cuper's side lost 3-0 to Real Madrid. Real are 3-2 down after their first leg against Galatasaray but will be strong favourites to turn the tie around at the Bernabeu on Wednesday to book a semifinal clash with Manchester United or Bayern Munich. "It's great to have come this far again," said Cuper, "but the challenge for us now is to actually win something. "We have to be optimistic. To lift the Champions League trophy would be just incredible." Wenger left to face reality of Arsenal's exitLONDON -- One pathetic picture captured the despair of manager Arsene Wenger at his Arsenal team's Champions League exit. It showed the grim-faced Frenchman struggling to wrest the ball from a ball-boy on the touchline as Arsenal vainly sought an equalizer in the closing minutes at Valencia's Mestalla stadium on Tuesday night. Standing behind Wenger was a perplexed-looking Lauren, Arsenal's Cameroonian midfielder, with another ball tucked under his arm, waiting to get on with the game. Wenger's desperation was understandable after the ill-deserved 1-0 defeat which meant his side was eliminated on the away goals rule from the quarterfinals of the Champions League. The financial reality of modern football means that qualifying for next season's Champions League rather than winning this season's tournament is a more realistic priority for almost all Europe's top clubs. But on a personal level, Wenger wanted to prove he could succeed against the best that Europe has to offer on the continent's biggest stage. Last season, to Wenger's dismay, Arsenal failed to progress beyond the group stages. This season's failure to mount any sort of challenge to Manchester United's domestic dominance meant success this time around in the the Champions League was more important than ever. Harsh reality The pain caused by Tuesday's exit was made all the more acute by the knowledge that Arsenal may never get a better chance to emulate United's 1999 success in Europe's elite tournament. "All the Italian teams went out by the second phase this time and we know that won't be the case every season," he said afterwards. "It is so frustrating for the players and for me. I still believed we deserved to qualify for the semifinals." Reality will now hit hard at Arsenal, who are about to enter a transitional period. Second in the premier league with five games left, they will, barring disaster, qualify for the Champions League next season. They also have an FA Cup final against Liverpool to come on May 12 in Cardiff. But Europe will have to wait for another season and by then it may be too late for the current squad. Goalkeeper David Seaman is 37, defensive giants Tony Adams and Martin Keown are 34 and right-back Lee Dixon is 37. It is anybody's guess if they will be around this time next season. Wenger was given a frightening taste of what life without his defensive rocks will be like when Arsenal, without Adams, Keown or Dixon, were thrashed 6-1 by United in February. All three were excellent on Tuesday when the most disappointing aspect was Arsenal's seeming lack of belief in front of goal. Only last week Wenger said he was happy with his striking quartet of French pair Thierry Henry and Sylvain Wiltord, Nigerian Nwankwo Kanu and currently injured Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp. Mean defense The stark truth, though, was that they didn't look up to it against a mean Valencia defense. "We just could not come up with the killer strike we needed," the manager admitted. So Wenger needs a new goalkeeper, a new defense, and probably a new striker or two -- in short, he has a major rebuilding job on his hands. The Frenchman has always insisted he will see out the remaining year of his contract at Highbury, despite overt interest from clubs such as Barcelona. But the look on his face after Tuesday's shattering defeat suggested Arsenal's manager may already believe he has taken the London club as far as he can. Deportivo urges Irureta to sign newMADRID, Spain -- Deportivo president Augusto Cesar Lendoiro has called on coach Javier Irureta to renew his contract with the club, despite the disappointment of the Champions League elimination by Leeds. Following Tuesday's 3-2 aggregate defeat, Lendoiro said that the time was right for Irureta to take a decision. "I think it would good for both parties to sort this out quickly. The players would appreciate it too," Lendoiro told the Spanish daily Marca. However, the 53-year-old coach, whose contract ends in June, appeared unmoved by the president's pleas. "We have not qualified for next season's Champions League yet. If we finish in the top four then I'll be ready to talk. But at present I think we should wait," the newspaper quoted him as saying. With eight league matches remaining, Deportivo currently lies eight points behind leader Real Madrid and six points ahead of fifth-place Barcelona. Irureta has been steadfast in his refusal to negotiate until he completes what he terms 'his season's work'. His reticence has fueled speculation that he aims to become Valencia's coach, in the light of Hector Cuper's likely departure in June. "In my opinion, Irureta's work has already been completed, both in the league and in the Champions League. We're second in the league and we almost reached the semifinals of the Champions," Lendoiro countered. "Besides, the renewal of his contract does not depend on what has happened this year. There is also the service he has given us over previous years to consider." The much-traveled Irureta, who arrived from Celta Vigo at the start of the 1998-99 season, guided Deportivo to its first Spanish league title last season. Ridsdale: Leeds still the underdogLEEDS, England -- Leeds United chairman Peter Ridsdale has played down his side's chances of winning the Champions League for the first time. Leeds, the surprise team of the competition, set up a semifinal encounter with Valencia by overcoming Spanish champions Deportivo Coruna 3-2 on aggregate. "I still don't think we believe we can win it," he told Sky Sports.com television on Wednesday. "If you look at the other teams that are going to get through -- Real Madrid, Galatasaray, Bayern Munich and Manchester United -- they are big names in European football." Ridsdale added: "People have been saying we're probably the least experienced side and I think that's still the case." Arsenal need more players, says VieiraLONDON -- Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira says the club needs to buy players if it is to compete better in the Champions League next season. The Frenchman was outstanding on Tuesday in the 1-0 defeat by Valencia in Spain which eliminated the north London side from the Champions League quarterfinals on the away goals rule after winning the first leg 2-1. "I feel very disappointed to have gone out to Valencia because I believe we have looked a better team than them. But we do need more players in the squad," Vieira said on Arsenal's Web site. Vieira also tipped fellow English premier league side Leeds United to beat Valencia in the semifinals. "I think Leeds can go through against them," he said. "They are certainly strong enough to build a good lead in the first leg at home. "If we had had a 3-1 lead I'm sure we would have done it but we missed our chances at Highbury and I was one who did so."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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