Real Madrid showed their mental and physical strength in overcoming Atletico de Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night, says midfielder Luka Modric.
The Croatian, one of the star performers in the side this season, played his role in the 3-0 demolition of their city rivals in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final. And afterwards, he told reporters the players were happy to get their revenge for last season’s final heartbreak against the same opponents, on the same ground. Los Blancos had also lost to Atletico in the La Liga match at the Bernabeu in September too.
“We had lost the last two matches against Atlético Madrid. We were very focused from the start and fought together, which was important to get the win. When we play like we did tonight, we are very strong. It is always something important to beat the bigger, stronger teams like Atlético Madrid,” Modric stated.
The playmaker was also asked by reporters about the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo, who begins a three-match ban in La Liga this weekend, as a result of his red card against Athletic Bilbao at San Mames. The former Spurs player admitted the loss of the Portuguese star will be tough, but teammate Gareth Bale will be able to slot back into the team to cover the 29-year-old’s absence.
“It is not fair, because he didn’t do anything wrong, but we can’t do anything about that. We all have to do more when Cristiano it is not playing because he is a very important player for us. Bale trained normally over the last two or three days. The coach did not want him to force anything today because we have another important match on Saturday and Cristiano cannot play in it. It is important for him to rest because there is no rush,” Modric stated.
