Zinedine Zidane has shared his thoughts after Real Madrid maintained their calm to advance to the Champions League knockout stages.
Zinedine Zidane says his Real Madrid side produced their best performance of the season in their 2-0 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach on Wednesday night.
Los Blancos needed just a victory to be guaranteed a spot in the Champions League round of 16, and they did just. Karim Benzema was the star of the day as he headed two goals in the first half, and that was enough to seal the result.
It could have been more as Modric, Vazquez, and Benzema all hit the woodwork while Sergio Ramos and Toni Kroos saw their efforts stopped by goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
A loss for Real Madrid and failure to go through would have put Zidane in an unwanted position at the club.
The French manager claims his side delivered their best game of the season and was pleased to see their calm even under pressure.
“This was the objective: to finish first,” he said, as quoted by Marca. “We played a spectacular game, from the first minute to the last. We interpreted the game really well.
“I think this was the most complete game of the season. I’ve been a player and it’s impossible to play like this all the time. We try to, but every now and then…
“We don’t only perform under pressure; we have played other good games as well. It’s true this team has that [quality]: when the difficulties are great, it appears.
“I’m happy for the players because they are the most important thing. I’m fighting with them and I’m happy for them. It was a good game.”
Another big game awaits Zidane and his men at the weekend as they welcome rivals Atletico for the Madrid derby at the Alfredo Di Stefano stadium.
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