Zidane: “We were able to dig in and we deserve to go through"

NEWS | 14/04/2021 | Rodrigo Salamanca

“I'm proud of the team and everything we're doing", stated the Real Madrid coach.

Zinedine Zidane appeared in an online press conference after clinching a place in the Champions League semi-finals: “We were able to dig in. That was to be expected in a quarter-final tie. We deserved to go through but we knew it was going to be difficult. We controlled the game well, we worked hard for each other and I'm thrilled for the lads. It was hugely important to make it through to the next round and it gives us a big morale boost".

“We're happy to have qualified but we haven't won anything yet. We're still alive in both competitions. I'm proud of the team and everything we're doing, we have to keep it up. We're just going to think about resting up and then focus on our next game against Getafe”.

Starting line-up
“It's the option I decided to go with, Valverde as a full-back. He put in a great performance in a position where he's not used to playing. I'm proud of Benzema, Asensio, Vinicius Jr's efforts up top. We suffered at times, particularly in the second half".

Courtois
“He's our goalkeeper and he's playing brilliantly. It's so important to have a keeper with that assuredness, it's something he's always given us. He's doing a fantastic job".

We've got plenty of quality but the key thing is the character of these players.

"I'm not going to say anything about the criticism. We’re still in both competitions and pleased about that, but we haven't won anything yet. We’ve had some complications, but we’re in the mix at the end of the season where everything is at stake. We have to continue like this".

Chelsea
“We’re going to enjoy today’s result. Then we have a lot of league matches. Chelsea are a very good side. The further we go in the competition, the more difficult the games become”.

Physical effort
“We finished the game better today than we did against Barcelona. We’ve had three games in the space of a week and the players have had to make an enormous effort. But after these three matches, we can feel pleased with ourselves. I spoke about the physical limitations after the Barcelona game because it’s normal after a game like that. It’s hasn’t been easy to get here, but we’re still alive at the season’s run-in”.

Character
"The players always want more and the team always shows that character. When there are difficulties, they’re more united and want to step up. We have immense quality, but the key is the character of the players".

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