Bryan Zaragoza: “They were wrong, but I was never wanted here”

“They were wrong, but I was never wanted here,” Bryan Zaragoza said after Málaga and Espanyol drew 1-1 at La Rosaleda. The forward also insisted that his celebration after scoring was not aimed at the supporters, who had booed him throughout the match.

“I didn’t send the crowd any message. I have affection and respect for Málaga, but I’ve never played here. I hadn’t been finding the net for a while; if I score, I’m going to celebrate,” he explained. He added that the fans had to understand him.

Zaragoza said he felt the boos were unjustified. “I was never wanted here; I had no reason not to celebrate. I don’t understand the anger towards me because I haven’t done anything wrong,” he said. He nevertheless apologised in case spectators at La Rosaleda had taken his gesture as a provocation, adding that he did not want to offend anyone.

On the match, he said Málaga had played well and that a draw was “more or less fair”, although Espanyol had chances to put the game beyond reach in the first half. His team still left “with a bitter taste”, he said, because Málaga’s equaliser came with the final action of the match.