Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane: Chelsea deserved to go through

Chelsea defeated Real Madrid 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in the second leg to qualify for the Champions League final with a 3-1 aggregate win.

Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane in a file photo
By Karthik Raman | May 6, 2021 | 2 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is “proud” of his boys, but conceded that Chelsea were the deserved winners on the night. Chelsea got their tactics spot-on as they defeated Real Madrid 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in the second leg of the Champions League semifinal. The 3-1 aggregate victory sent Chelsea to their third final in this competition. As for Madrid, it’s all about focusing on La Liga, where they still have a chance of winning the title.

“Chelsea deserved to go through. We did our best, but they deserved to win and go through,” Zidane spoke in the press room at Stamford Bridge. “The players were prepared for the semi-final and I’m proud of them. They did their best, but we were one game away from the final and Chelsea played really well. They’ve gone through and I’d like to congratulate them.”

Sitting second in the league table and only two points shy of table-toppers Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid have a good chance of retaining their league title. “We had a lot of players missing, but now we have four games left in the league and we have to recover and be ready to fight for the league title,” he added.

“It’s really important that we do that. We’ve had a really good Champions League run and we were just one game away from the final. We’re not going to throw in the towel with four games to go now. We have to finish the season as strongly as we can.”

Zidane did confess that the players ran out of steam in the end against Chelsea. “We were one step away from the final but it wasn’t to be today. The players who were in the starting line-up were fit enough to be there. We ran out of steam a bit towards the end of the game but if the players play, it’s because they’re ready to do so,” he added.

While speaking about Eden Hazard’s return to Stamford Bridge, Zidane felt the Belgian needs a run of games to get back to his best. “He needs a run of games. Eden has to play, he has to recover his confidence and all that, but by playing games. It’s a gradual process. It’s his second game in a row and we have to get him back playing,” he elaborated.





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