Barça's Xavi: The game was there to be won, we dropped two points

Barça's Xavi: The game was there to be won, we dropped two points

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The Barcelona coach was disappointed not to kill Espanyol off on Sunday

Xavi was not satisfied to leave Espanyol with a point despite needing a last-minute equaliser from Luuk de Jong to even save that.

"We created chances and in these moments we need to kill games off," he said after Barça and Espanyol played out a 2-2 draw in Sunday's derby.

"When Gavi's goal was ruled out, when we were playing our best, then they score. It's a point but it is not enough, although the leader (Real Madrid) also lost here."

Xavi continued: "We were not clinical today and we paid for it. It would have been unjust to lose, but we're still in a Champions League spot and we have to keep fighting.

"It was an intense game. They were aggressive in the second half, but we matched them. We created a lot. In the end you think about the point. It's insufficient. It was a game to win, we lost two points."

Xavi also lamented goals conceded: "We must be self-critical. We can't concede these goals. We have to improve. We concede too much.

"For the first goal, we took a risk playing the ball out we did not need to take. The second goal is down to a poor reading of the defensive line. Football is a game of mistakes and we have to minimise them."

There was praise for De Jong, who came off the bench to score the dramatic equaliser.

"Luuk de Jong is an example and I say that in front of the whole squad," Xavi said. "He's a top professional. He's a goal scorer and that's why we brought him on. He's had two chances and then scored another one."  

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