Zidane Blasts Real Madrid Players After 1-0 Defeat to Rayo Vallecano



Real Madrid manager, Zinedine Zidane, was furious with his players following their 1-0 defeat to Rayo Vallecano at the Campo de Futbol de Vallecas on Sunday.

The poor display came a day after Real saw eternal rivals, Barcelona, celebrate their 26th La Liga title.

Adri Embarba netted the only goal of the game, sending goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois the wrong way with a penalty midway through the first half.

The loss kept Madrid on 65 points with three matches left to play.

It was Rayo’s first win over their illustrious neighbours since 1997 when Fabio Capello was in charge of Madrid.

“Today we did nothing, from minute one until the end, at all levels.

“Sometimes you cannot score, but today we did not even make chances, did not do anything in our play. We must be very angry, and I am angry, as our image today was bad.

“And I am responsible for that, not just the players. We must apologise for what we did today, all of us,” Zidane told a press conference after the match.

Zidane was then asked if he regrets returning to the Santiago Bernabeu to take over a Madrid side which had slumped through the season under previous coaches: Julen Lopetegui and Santi Solari.

“I am not sorry, just the opposite.

“I have to live through these difficult moments like today. But we cannot play like this. Today it was everything, the attitude, everything. We were not committed in anything, challenges, running. They played their game, but we did nothing of what we must do on the pitch,” the Frenchman replied.

Zidane also refused to reveal what he had told his players after the game.

“What I said to the players stays there. I will always defend my players, but not today. That is the reality of today, we cannot play like this. But it is not just them, I am responsible as I pick the team and prepare the game with the players. Today was just opposite of what was planned,” he added.

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