AdminEmi Buendía believes Aston Villa can hold their heads high after narrowly losing to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Désiré Doué were on target as the Champions League winners secured a 2-1 victory at Stadion Salzburg.
Brian Madjo’s first-half strike had restored parity before the break, giving Villa genuine hope of producing another memorable result against Europe’s elite.
Unai Emery’s side competed strongly throughout and created opportunities against a PSG team that became only the third club in history to retain the Super Cup.
Buendía admitted defeat was disappointing but praised Villa’s performance.
He said: “To lose is not a good feeling, but I think we can feel very proud of the game we did.
“We competed very well, we had chances to get a better result, but football is like this.
“They are top players, so (when) they get their chances, they score, and they won the game.”
Doué’s winner came shortly after the hour mark after initially being flagged offside, with Buendía admitting Villa must improve their concentration in decisive moments.
“We were there,” the Argentine added.
“I think we competed very well. To overcome the result when they start winning the game, it is difficult.
“We were pushing at the end of the first half with a few chances, obviously Brian scored a really good goal.
“I think we went into half-time believing in ourselves as well, and the second half we were keeping showing character but in one tricky situation in the middle, a soft foul inside the pitch, they took the advantage and scored the goal, so I think we have to learn about the small details.”
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