Valverde: “We deserve to be in the final, it was an incredible win"

Valverde and Courtois assessed the team's thrashing of Barcelona at the Camp Nou (0-4) to seal a place in the Copa del Rey final. The Uruguayan underlined: “The important thing was to win it. It's hugely satisfying because it wasn't easy to win here. Being a goal down to Barcelona is always going to be difficult. We played some great football in the second half and we made the most of our chances. When you concede a goal at the end of the first half, as happened to us in the first leg, your mind plays a crucial role. After the break they gave us a lot of space and we were able to convert the opportunities we created”.

“Now we have to enjoy another final for Real Madrid, with this club. We deserve to be here. It was incredible. I'm delighted for everyone who is part of Real Madrid. We have to enjoy this win, it's special. It's fantastic to get the win and book our place in the final. I don't care about the result, I'm happy with any time we win and I try and enjoy the moment. Playing in a final is a huge responsibility but we will go there with the utmost respect for Osasuna. It's going to be a brilliant final”.

Second half
“It was fairly similar to the Champions League game against Liverpool. We started off calmly, we were patient in defence and then we started to find spaces and enjoy ourselves. We showed real patience and we were able to defend when we had to. Everyone got involved in the game and it came off really well".

Benzema
“He's unbelievable. I don't care how many goals he gets, he's an inspiration for everyone, an example to follow. He's Real Madrid's goal scorer, the Ballon d'Or holder and whenever he's on the pitch, we have to try and get the best out of him and enjoy it".

Message for the fans
“I'd like to thank all the people for their support, those who have come to the game and those who have been there through the bad times. It's a team. If we stick together, players and fans, we can achieve great things. We have to continue on this path and I'm sure we'll succeed”.
 
Courtois: “We're thrilled to be playing in another final with this team”
"It's my first Copa del Rey final with Madrid. I'm delighted to get there because it's been a tough route: Villarreal, Atlético and the semi-finals against Barcelona, but now we're in the final. We're thrilled to be playing in another final with this team”.

Game plan
“The gaffer told us that we had to play the way we were playing. We didn't play well in the Super Cup and we could've won here in the league but we didn't. But we finished strongly today. From the start of the second half, at 0-2, they seemed a bit scared. Then we scored the third from the penalty spot and the fourth, which felt great. We'd lost to them recently and we wanted to win the Clásico. The image of winning it 0-4 is big. I'm delighted for the whole team because they fought hard”.

On Vini Jr.
“He was on a yellow card and it would have been a shame for him to get another. Players target him but these scuffles happen on the pitch. We need the best Vini Jr. like we got today and if he plays like that, then brilliant”.