Rice: 'We battled really hard and we knew it would be a hard, hard game'

Last updated : 13 September 2011 By Chris Parry

"We battled really hard and we knew it would be a hard, hard game. To be able to defend well is a high quality skill and that is something all of our players did this evening.

"I shouldn't think many teams will come to Dortmund and beat them and we were very, very close to doing that.

"Don't forget Dortmund are a really good side. There is no question about that. Would we have liked to have won the game? Of course we would. We were so close and so very, very near.

"But the same thing happened to us in terms of the goal as happened when we played arch rivals Tottenham and the boy Danny Rose hit an unbelievable shot from about 35 yards.

"It was the same this evening. I should imagine that he could try that 25, 30, 40 times and he would hit it over the bar or at the goalkeeper. It was a great goal."