Highlights:
- Real Madrid suffered an embarrassing loss in Copa del Rey on Thursday
- The French coach insisted his players gave it all against the 3rd tier team
- Zinedine Zidane has accepted full responsibility of his side’s defeat
Frenchman Zinedine Zidane, Real Madrid’s coach, has accepted full responsibility for his side’s shocking defeat to Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey Round 32 disqualifier match on Thursday.
Though Eder Militao gave the Spanish giants a lead before the half-time whistle in the round of 32 tie, the third-tier side Alcoyano took the game into extra time with an 80th minute goal in the game which came from Jose Solbes.
The game took turn for the worse for Alcoyano when Ramon Lopez was sent off in the second half of extra time, however, Juanan popped up to net the winner goal of the match and took his side into the last-16.
The result came in less than a week after his side was knocked out of the Supercopa de Espana semi-finals by Athletic Club and a 0-0 draw with Osasuna in La Liga preceded that result.
The stunning embarrassment on Thursday will only put more pressure on Zidane, who has previously defended his players, however, also admits he is not sure if he still has their support.
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At the press conference, the 48 year old Frenchman said, “I think so but you have to ask them [if I still have their support]”.
“We have done good things, not so much lately, but apart from the last games we did good things this season. We have to concentrate on the things that can be done.
“When you lose, you always talk. I take responsibility and whatever has to happen, will happen. I am very calm, the players wanted to win the game.
“They try and sometimes different things happen. You have to assume responsibility,” he said.
“I am going to assume it, as always. The players have tried and if we score the second goal it is another match, football is like that. The goalkeeper has made two or three saves and didn’t allow us to score the second goal. But I have the responsibility. We are out.”
Zinedine Zidane said his side tried their hardest in the Copa del Rey clash and even felt that they had more than enough chances to win the game.
He said, “We have tried, I think the players have left everything on the field. We had chances and when you don’t put them in, what happened to us can happen”.
“It is a difficult moment, we are out of the Copa, we had to do something else but we couldn’t. The players have tried.
“This is football, it is very difficult because we played against a Segunda B team and we have to win the game, but it didn’t go like that.
“It’s not a shame, it can happen, it happens, these are things that happen in a football career. I assume responsibility and we will continue working. We will not go crazy,” he said at the press conference.
