REAL MADRID 4 - ATHLETIC 2
Zidane: "Cristiano showed today that he's in superb nick"
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane expressed his satisfaction with his side's 4-2 victory over Athletic Club on Saturday.
Ahead of the Roma game, are you worried about the defensive errors? "You're always going to get mistakes; I'm not worried. We're ready for the game against Roma. We're in good shape physically and in terms of our play, and I'm very happy with our showing today against a very good side. We're ready for Wednesday."
Most complete performance? "I don't know if it was the most complete. What's most important is to give our all and win the game. There are always difficult moments over the course of 90 minutes, and that was the case today too. I'm happy with the way everyone played."
What was your assessment of Mateo Kovacic's display? "I'm happy with the game he put in. He played very well and I took him off in the closing stages because he was a little bit tired; that's to be expected."
Raphael Varane sending-off: "My understanding is that it wasn't deserved. I haven't watched the replay of the incident yet, but I've been told that he jumped normally and that it wasn't a second yellow... But I haven't watched the replay."
Dani Carvajal on the left and Danilo on the right: "That's what I planned for today's match. I think they both put in good performances. It's clearly not Carvajal's favourite position, but it's what I went with today; it's something we wanted to try out. I'm not set on one idea; it's what I planned for today and in Rome on Wednesday we'll see who plays at left-back."
Cristiano Ronaldo: "What can I say? You [the press] are here to give your opinion on whether he pays well or plays badly, whether he's finished or not. Today he showed that he's in superb nick."
Champions League: "It brings back a lot of great memories for me, because I've won it with this club as an assistant coach and as a player. There's something special about it. As a player you dream of winning the World Cup, but every year you dream of winning the Champions League too. We're going to fight hard to win it."