Villarreal coach Marcelino was proud of his players after their defeat of Olympique Marseille.
Etienne Capoue, Alexander Sorloth and Yerson Mosquera struck for the 3-1 win, though Villarreal lost the Europa League round 16 tie 5-3 on aggregate.
Marcelino said: "I am proud of the players we have and grateful. The outcome of this beautiful spectacle is not fair. We had a bad day in Marseille. But they had four scoring chances there and we had 18 today. It's a shame.
"It was extraordinary. We made chances through play and strategy. We believed we had options and we have shown that that opinion was real. Adding one match and another, we deserved more than the rival.
"I think the word miracle downplays the importance of work and in football there are few miracles and a lot of work. Today what there has been is a much superior team than being a total team that has overwhelmed another.
"We clearly deserved more than four goals and to pass this tie. The first half it was not fair to be with a single goal advantage. I only remember one chance from Aubameyang and us of all types and colors. The best player of them has been the goalkeeper. Going through was not a miracle but something deserved."
