Real Madrid defeated Valencia to book their place in the final of the Spanish Super Cup. After the game protagonists spoke and assessed the performance of the team. Nacho and Asensio who were among the players who gave their direct contribution said to the media that they were expecting the game to be this tough due to the opponent’s experience, good organization and defense. They also stated that the team has to keep working to improve continually.
Nacho, who played the full 90 minutes, spoke first for the media. Nacho Fernandez started the game at left back on the night and played the full 120 minutes. He made a whopping 16 defensive contributions in that duration in addition to a key pass and a 94% pass accuracy.
The veteran analyzed the game at the King Fahd Stadium as follows: "It was tough. Winning a match with extra-time and penalties is never easy. Valencia were good and it was a very competitive match. We had two chances and in the end luck went our way in the penalty shoot-out. We're delighted to be in another final. Their goal was the problem. We came out after the break and in the first attack they scored. It's something we have to work on because the other day at Villarreal we conceded right after the break. We'll try to correct these mistakes in the next few days”.
Change of Position: “I'm used to it and I have no problem. For me, I'm happy to play, and I don't care about the position. I feel much more comfortable at centre-back, but I'm happy to be playing”.
Ancelotti: “He gives us motivation, confidence in ourselves. These are moments when perhaps the team's under more pressure, but we're confident because we've put a lot of work into it. It worked out well in the end”.
Confidence in the Squad: “I've got confidence in my teammates and in Courtois of course, because they're the best. We have tremendous confidence in Courtois, not only for penalties. Every game he proves that he's the best goalkeeper in the world. It’s great to have him in the team”.
Defending the Title: “It's a unique opportunity. Anything that means winning titles with this club is wonderful. We have another chance to lift another title in recent years, which have been incredible. We have to battle and fight until the end”.
Then, it was Asensio who expressed his opinion. The Majorcan started from the bench and then entered the pitch in the 84th minute to give the team more energy and to be a main player in the attack in case of extra time. He also kicked one of the penalties, the 4th one, scoring and eventually closing the Madrid’s turn since Courtois ended the game with the next save.
He had the following to say: "It was a complicated game, with little rhythm from both teams. It was tough for us, but the important thing is that we're in the final and in the running for another title. We expected the second half to begin with high intensity. The goal upset our plans a bit, Valencia pressed and played very well. We kept creating chances and it could have gone either way. We went through on penalties and we're very happy”.
Tough Match: "We wanted to score a goal as soon as possible and avoid penalties, but the ball wouldn’t go in. We're fine, happy, where we want to be and on Sunday we're in the final and in search of another title. We wanted to reach the final and try to win it, no matter who our opponents are”.
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