Zinedine Zidane has spoken in the Santiago Bernabéu press room to analyse the match against Barcelona: “We started very well and had the opportunities to score but we didn’t manage to do so. We made a mistake for their first goal and the game was uphill from then on. Just as I wanted to make the substitutions, the second goal went in and everything changed with the sending-off. Mateo also picked up a knock defending the second goal and the first was our fault because we didn’t defend it very well. It’s a painful defeat but it’s the way it is, and we have to take it on the chin today”.



“We’re disappointed because it’s a tough one to take but we’re not going to let our heads drop. We’ve got a week to rest up well and we’ll come back stronger than before. Real Madrid never give in. It’s a tough time now after the defeat and conceding three goals. We didn’t deserve to lose in this fashion, but that’s football and it happens sometimes”.



His approach

“I don’t regret anything. I’m here to make decisions. If we had scored in the first half, things would have been very different. They are my decisions and I take full responsibility. We’re frustrated because a defeat like this is very painful for everyone involved”.



“Now we have to rest up and keep going forward. I’m not going to ever change. We have to keep making progress because we have a long way to go. Everyone seems to think that LaLiga is done and dusted but I don’t think that it is. We will keep plugging away, this has not been a bad year”.