The Morocco international lamented his team’s failure to convert their chances as their ambition of reaching the quarter-finals faded into thin air
Youssef En-Nesyri claimed Sevilla "lacked a bit of luck" when they crashed out of the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night.
Having suffered a 3-2 home defeat to the Bundesliga side in the first leg Round of 16 tie, the Spanish top-flight side needed an away win in the reverse fixture to stand a chance of progressing to the last eight.
Nevertheless, they played out 2-2 draw at Signal Iduna Park and ultimately kissed the competition goodbye after a 5-4 aggregate defeat.
In the keenly contested affair, the hosts raced into a 1-0 lead at half-time thanks to a 37th-minute effort from Erling Haaland. The Norway international doubled the advantage for Edin Terzic’s men on the night in the 54th minute.
Despite a late rally from the visitors that saw En-Nesyri bagging a brace – which helped him set a new record as the highest-scoring Moroccan in a single Champions League season – Sevilla crashed out of the tournament.
"We came very close to tying the playoff. We had no luck, we lowered our concentration in a few seconds and they scored that goal,” the Morocco international told the club website.
“In the second half they scored the second, but I am very happy with the work and effort of the team. You have to stay on the same line, face the next few games.
"I am very happy [with my performance], although we have lacked a few minutes. We have to go ahead and look for points in the next few games.
"We have demonstrated what we have and what we have done. We lacked a bit of luck to score goals, but football is like that."
Following Los Nervionenses’ exit from the Champions League, they will now focus their attention on the Spanish elite division, where they welcome sixth-placed Real Betis to the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Sunday night.
Having accrued 48 points from 25 matches in the ongoing season, Lopetegui’s men occupy the fourth spot on the log - 11 points behind leaders Atletico Madrid.