Barcelona boss Frank Rijkaard commended his players' performance during their narrow victory over Espanyol in the city-derby. "I am very content with the result," Spanish daily El-Mundo Deportivo quoted Rijkaard as saying in a press conference after Saturday's match. "It has been a very physical game but we succeeded in creating more goal chances than them." Barcelona beat Espanyol 2-1 thanks to efforts from midfielder Deco and in-form striker Samuel Eto'o while Raul Tamudo narrowed the gap for the home side. "In the second-half, we endured the rain and Espanyol's constant pressure and managed to hold our own throughout the entire match," he added. Rijkaard said that scoring the opener one minute before the break and the second just after re-start gave his side a morale advantage.
Barcelona clinched another derby win "The goals came at an excellent timing and I believe that Espanyol's goal was totally unexpected. That's why we had to continue fighting for our victory and have succeeded in doing so," the Dutch boss stated. With this result, Barcelona maintained their lead in the league standings with a tally of 43 points from 18-match wins. On another hand, Deco recuperated well from the injury he sustained in the Saturday derby and was discharged from hospital, Barcelona said on their website on Sunday. The Portuguese midfielder lost conscience momentarily after hitting his head against teammate Thiago Motta in the 57th minute. He was transported to a hospital were he spent the night undergoing medical scans and check-ups. Asked about Deco, Rijkaard said: "He played a great match and gave a great performance and display of skills and determination in the first-half."
