Raphael Schäfer left the Camp Nou with his head held high
VfB Stuttgart goalkeeper Raphael Schäfer admits that he left the Camp Nou stadium with deep regrets on Matchday 6 - but not principally because FC Barcelona scored three times against him in a 3-1 defeat.
The German goalkeeper made four first-class saves of varying types which meant that despite conceding three his reputation remained intact. However, from his vantage position the 28-year-old keeper felt the German champions could easily have done more damage to their hosts. "I'm 100 per cent sure that we played well enough to have scored one or perhaps two more goals in this match," said Schäfer. "Given our injuries and the fact that this was a game which meant nothing in terms of group positions we showed a good attitude and played some nice football. There's no doubt in my mind that we created some good opportunities and left with our pride intact."
Schäfer admits, however, that the venue and the opposition may have given a lift to Stuttgart's performance. Several technical staff queued up at the end of the match to have their pictures taken with Ronaldinho as he left the pitch while the majority of the Stuttgart players were wearing or carrying Barça strips that they had exchanged with the Camp Nou stars. "Of course our guys enjoyed this test because it's the boyhood dream of each and every footballer to come and test themselves at the Camp Nou against Barcelona," he said. "The result wasn't a joy but the experience was."
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