Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane admits he is pleased with his side’s performance in the stalemate against Manchester City but says he feels they could have got more to take back to the Spanish capital.
Without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo and shorn of the services of Karim Benzema in the second half, Los Blancos held out for a 0-0. The 10-time winners had the better of the chances in the second period however and City had Joe Hart to thank for ensuring City go to the Santiago Bernabeu with the tie all square.
Speaking at his press conference afterwards, Zidane said: “I’m pleased with the game because it wasn’t easy. We defended very well and in the second half we had more of the ball and chances to score. I’m a bit disappointed because we deserved more, but we were very good defensively. It was a hard-fought game.
“We could have scored, but getting a goal doesn’t guarantee a place in the final. We’re halfway through the tie. We’ve got the next game at home and we know what we’re capable of doing at the Bernabéu. We’ll have to work like we did today.”
The boss was also quizzed about the fitness of Ronaldo and Benzema, and responded by saying: “I said that they were 100% fit, but that we’d have to see how they did in the last training session, Cristiano Ronaldo felt something and so he didn’t play. The issue with Karim was a bit different, but it was gradually getting worse and we didn’t want to risk him. They’re two important players and we hope that they’re back for the second leg. We’ll take it day-by- day and look at it with the doctors.”
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