Rio still hurt by final loss

Published: 15 Sep 2009 - 08:21:46

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Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand insists he is still 'sickened' at how they lost the Champions League final to Barcelona last season. Barcelona ended United's reign as European champions with a comprehensive 2-0 win in Rome last May and the defeat still hurts Ferdinand. Ferdinand, who made his return from injury against Tottenham at the weekend, is determined to make amends this season, starting with Tuesday's trip to Besiktas, live on Sky Sports 2. "Having lost a Champions League final, I know what it feels like. It was sickening in Rome because we felt we were on the cusp of greatness, so to lose the way we did was really difficult," said Ferdinand. "The worst thing about it was that we didn't even put up a fight. "We never got going. If we had scored in the first 10 minutes, I think we'd have gone on to win the game, but Barcelona got the first goal and it stunned us. "We never recovered after that and that was so disappointing." Ferdinand is confident United can enjoy more success in Europe this term. "You want to win it at all costs and as long as we're winning, that's all that matters," added Ferdinand. "Over the last three seasons, we've performed really well. We won the league three times, reached two Champions League finals so people expect a lot of us. "If you sometimes don't deliver the big one, then you get a bit of flak and you have to deal with that."