Zinedine Zidane has praised the team spirit of his Real Madrid players after Sergio Ramos’ 90th minute equaliser earned his team a point in the first Clasico of the season at the Nou Camp on Saturday.
Ramos’ header cancelled out a 53rd minute strike from Uruguayan predator Luis Suarez and overall, Zidane was happy with the point come full-time.
Speaking to the Real Madrid ?official website, the French legend said: ““We have to highlight the spirit shown by this team yet again, the way we worked together and the belief we showed until the end to clinch this important point.
“I don’t know whether or not [a draw is] fair, but it’s the way it’s gone. It’s a point, we keep picking them up, and in the first half we had chances to hurt them.
“They scored their goal in the second half, we let up a bit and they grew in confidence. It’s a point but it doesn’t feel like a win. We can be very happy with how we played against a very tough opponent. Now we have to rest up because we’ve got another match in no time at all,” Zidane continued.
Madrid’s boss was also at pains to emphasise that the result does not mean that the La Liga title is done and dusted.
“We’ve got a six-point advantage, but that won’t change anything. This is a long-run thing and we have to work hard until the end. We’re pleased with the point but we know that La Liga will be tough right to the finish.
“We can mix things up and we have a lot of different players who add something new within different tactical systems. That is the good thing about this team and today we saw the importance of each player. We are going to need all of these individuals right up until the end”.
Zidane also saved special praise for his defenders, and in particular captain and goalscorer Ramos. “It was a real collective effort. It’s not an easy place to come and we were under pressure, but it’s difficult for anyone.
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