Barcelona boss Frank Rijkaard praised his side's spirit and determination after they beat Athletic Bilbao 2-1 in the Primera Liga on Sunday. "I congratulate my players on their winning mentality," Rijkaard was quoted as saying by Barcelona's official website on Monday. "They have done very well. It was not a game where there was a lot of space, nor could we move the ball around quickly, but at the break we spoke about scoring and I think that we went out to win," he added. Barcelona came from a one-goal deficit against Athletic Bilbao to win 2-1 and maintain their position on the top of league table on 46 points, seven points ahead of second-placed Osasuna. The Dutch coach blamed Portuguese midfielder Deco for failing to control his temper after he assaulted Bilbao's player Carlos Gurpegi. "I think that it is always important to contain yourself. But football is a very emotional sport and occasionally these things happen," he said. "I hope that we can learn from this and not allow ourselves to be provoked again," he added.
