Soccer Champions League final reaction:Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic admitted his side were beaten by the better team as Barcelona ran out 3-1 winners in the Champions League final at Wembley.
Pedro, Lionel Messi and David Villa grabbed the goals for Barcelona, with Wayne Rooney scoring for the English champions and Vidic praised the performance of the Catalan masters.
"I think if you look at it we have never played a team in the past like Barcelona, they played good football and deserved to win," said Vidic. "We tried to press high and in some parts of the game we did well. The goals we lost, we didn't do what we have to do to close their players down. When they have time on the ball they can make the final pass and that is what they did."
Vidic's defensive partner Rio Ferdinand concurred with his skipper's view that United were second best against the four-time winners.
"We gave it a better shot this time than last time (in Rome in 2009), we had a couple of opportunities," said Ferdinand. "We got back in it at 1-1 and thought we could come back and win but it wasn't to be, we have to give them credit.
"A couple of the goals were preventable but you have to give credit where it's due. They've got a system they work to and did it well. We had a game plan we thought could beat them, but wasn't to be."
The game also brought an end to Edwin van der Sar's career and United's Dutch keeper followed the lead of Vidic and Ferdinand by hailing the Barcelona performance
"(I played) one game too many I think, it is not nice to lose of course. They had the better chances and we made one or two mistakes and they punish you," said the United keeper.
The 40-year-old also believed he could not have done any better with Messi's long-range effort to put Barca ahead after the break.
"I thought I was positioned well," he said. "He tends to curl it into the far post but he didn't. They are very good, you have to try and score the first goal and we didn't do that. It is not always a given, I thank everyone for the memories."
Barcelona's Javier Mascherano, deployed as a centre-half due to club captain Carles Puyol's injury, said: "We are really happy, we beat a fantastic team and played in the way we know to play.
"To win the Champions League, for any footballer, is the top title. For the last two months I have played centre-back, it's not my natural position but I tried to give my best to team and I am happy because we won the title."
The Argentina international, of course, was signed from United's fierce rivals Liverpool and he had a message for the Anfield faithful.
"I know the Liverpool supporters were a little bit sad with me after my exit, this is for them as well," he added.
