Zidane content with improving Madrid
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Article summary
Zinédine Zidane hailed his team's patience and cohesion as they made the most of their chances in a 2-0 win at Roma that leaves them well placed for a quarter-final spot.
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Article body
- Second-half goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and substitute Jesé earn Madrid 2-0 win
- Madrid boss Zinédine Zidane prevails on UEFA Champions League coaching debut
- Zidane delighted with his side's all-round game
- Luciano Spalletti says Roma were on a par with Madrid but lacked a bit of luck
- Second leg to be played the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on 8 March
Zinédine Zidane, Real Madrid coach
We're happy with the performance and the result. We knew it was going to be a tough game but we fought to the end and we got a good result. In the first half they pressed us and that's to be expected in a difficult Champions League tie.
Cristiano was great but then again, so was everyone. Even those who did not play were important for team morale. I'm happy with Jesé's goal – it helped the side and he got rewarded for his efforts. This is new for me, I'm happy and I'll try to ensure the team keep on improving.
We played a lot better than we have done in other away matches. It's important to score and keep a clean sheet in the Champions League and we did both. It was a difficult game against a good side. The first half was tough but we played much better after the break.
We scored two goals and we could have had even more, but Roma had chances too. To score two away from home, without conceding any, is very important.
Luciano Spalletti, Roma coach
We are happy that the fans applauded us off. They realise that the players gave everything and that we were simply unlucky today. We created the right openings but couldn't score; in contrast, Madrid were clinical. You can't afford even a small mistake against them.
When we conceded the first goal we became fearful and that's why we conceded the second. We lost our balance at times but I am happy with our overall display. We produced a great second half.
I'm happy with our application but sorry about the result – a game like this could have given us great momentum for the future. It's even more disappointing considering we probably had more chances than them.
