FC Barcelona captain Carles Puyol has hailed the Russian champions Rubin Kazan after their brilliant performance against the Catalans on Wednesday night.
Rubin defeated the reigning Spanish and European champions Barcelona a fortnight ago 2-1 at Camp Nou and held them to a 0-0 draw at home on Wednesday night. The Russian champions are now second in the group, ahead of Barca on head-to-head record.
Speaking to Marca after the game, Puyol said:
“We looked for a goal at all times but the ball did not want to go in. It was very difficult to create chances. We knew they would make a very defensive game, with two lines of four players very close together. They have closed down the spaces very well. They have players of great quality and are very dangerous on the counterattack. They are a great team,”