Real’s Zidane appeals for calm
Print Edition
REAL Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane urged his side to remain calm after its UEFA Champions League hopes suffered a setback with a shock 0-2 loss at VfL Wolfsburg in the first leg of their quarterfinal tie on Wednesday.
The Frenchman, who took over from the sacked Rafael Benitez in January, said the 10-time European Cup winner could still turn the tie around in Madrid next week against Wolfsburg, which is playing in its first quarterfinal.
“It is always disappointing to lose a Champions League game, especially the way we lost it,” he told reporters. “But we need to remain calm and united.
“We won’t go crazy now. We have to believe and know that we have a difficult game and see if we can turn it around. That is what happens when you don’t play with intensity. We have to rest and think about the return leg because we have the chance to change everything,” added Zidane, who won the title with the Spanish club as a player in 2002.
Real went into the game buoyed by its 2-1 victory over Barcelona in the ‘Clasico’ last Saturday and knowing the Champions League remains its best hope of silverware this season.
Zidane had seemingly turned Real’s season around after winning six successive matches in all competitions before Wednesday, but despite a strong start to the game, it suffered its first defeat in the competition this season.
Two goals in seven minutes from Ricardo Rodriguez and Maximilian Arnold gave the hosts a two-goal cushion after Real had pegged the Germans back early in the first half. “I think it was the first half that caused us problems,” Zidane said. “We were missing concentration at times, just things that happen in football, mistakes that you end up regretting.
“We did it better in the second half. Before the game the chances were 50-50 but now we must use all opportunities to turn things around and make everything well in the return leg.”
Wolfsburg, meanwhile, threw its stuttering season a lifeline with the victory, continuing a European voyage of discovery amid domestic frustration.
Last year’s German Cup winner and Bundesliga runner-up had started the season with high hopes of maintaining its role as Bayern Munich’s main rival, but the Wolves have been unable to mount a serious challenge.
The campaign started well with a Supercup victory over Bayern but it suffered its first major setback when influential playmaker Kevin De Bruyne joined Manchester City in late August.
Wolfsburg then had to deal with the potential fallout from car maker and owner Volkswagen’s emissions scandal, fearing it could hurt their finances.
Things got even worse in the middle of the campaign when Bas Dost, the club’s top scorer last season, suffered a broken foot during the winter break.
A recent slump in form has seen Wolfsburg score just once in its last three league games and slip down to eighth in the Bundesliga, leaving coach Dieter Hecking pondering the prospect of no European football next season.
However, when Wolfsburg beat Real, its fortunes were instantly revived.
“We did everything we had set out to do and that was to play with courage, control the ball and use our speed,” sports director Klaus Allofs said.
While the two-goal edge may still not guarantee a spot in the last four, Wolfsburg has every right to be brimming with confidence after it neutralized the threat posed by Real’s attack on the biggest European night in club history.
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