Real lost 2-1 to Manchester City on Friday in the second leg of the final eight, to qualify for City, who won the same result in the first leg as well.
Zidane said after the match in an interview with “BN Sports” that after his mistake, he told Varan that “he must calm down and raise his head.”
“The players gave what they had during the season. Of course, we cannot be happy with the defeat, but we are proud of what we have presented this season,” he added.
👔🎙️ Zidane: "No podemos estar contentos. Perdemos un partido, perdemos una clasificación. Pero hay que estar muy orgullosos de todo lo que hemos hecho durante la temporada."#RMUCL | #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/x1zBsptATK
— Real Madrid C.F. (34🏆) (@realmadrid) August 7, 2020
It was clear that Real – the record holder for winning the Champions League with 13 titles – was affected by the absence of its defender and captain Sergio Ramos, who watched the match from the Etihad Stadium because of his suspension, as a result of his expulsion in the first-leg match that was held last February in the capital, Madrid.
And with a naive mistake, Varane caused City to advance through Rahim Sterling, then Brazilian Gabriel Jesus gave the ball to score the goal of Manchester City’s victory, which eliminated the royal dreams in reaching the quarter-finals of his favorite championship.
Varane admitted his mistakes after the match in a statement he made to “BeIN Sports”, where he said, “I want to face the fans and acknowledge my mistakes and acknowledge that this loss is my responsibility. We prepared well, but mistakes caused the loss, and it was a complicated and difficult night for me. As a man I bear responsibility.” “We gave everything on the pitch and after the score was 1-1 we had a chance to qualify, but things went badly.”
💬 @raphaelvarane: "Quiero dar la cara hoy. Esta derrota es mi culpa, para mí. Estoy triste por mis compañeros y por el esfuerzo que han hecho. Lo errores se pagan caros a este nivel."#RMUCL | #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/2O4VKsdo04
— Real Madrid C.F. (34🏆) (@realmadrid) August 7, 2020
And Manchester City hit a date in the quarter-finals with the French team Lyon, who sparked a surprise by qualifying at the expense of Juventus.
It is noteworthy that the quarter-final matches will be held from 12 to 23 of this month in the Portuguese capital Lisbon, without the audience also in the play-off system.