Adrian elated at Europa final spot

27 Apr 2012 04:26:47

Atletico Madrid attacker Adrian is overjoyed to have reached the Europa League final at the expense of Valencia.

Atletico recorded a 4-2 home win in the first leg of their semi-final tie last week, and beat their La Liga rivals 1-0 at Mestalla in the return on Thursday to book their ticket for the showpiece in Bucharest on May 9.

"I am delighted. We could not have asked for anything more. We have worked very hard both in La Liga and the Europa League. We put in a tremendous effort and were rewarded for it with a good result," Adrian told AS.

"We knew that they would start with attacking intentions, so it was crucial to keep them quiet early on. We managed to hold on, and cruised to victory after the interval.

"It says a lot about Spanish teams that there are two of us in the final. It will be a great game."

Atletico will lock horns with Athletic Bilbao in the final on May 9.