Francisco Pavón: “It was difficult to get into the game”

What do you remember about that game at the Stadio Olimpico?

“The one we played behind closed doors? That’s the sort of thing that stays in your memory. It was weird, taking into account the size of the Olimpico, which is huge. It was amazing to play there with the stands empty.

How did it feel to play there?

“Like it was a training session. It was exactly the same atmosphere as the day before, when we trained there. There were about 500 people in the stadium. It was difficult to get into the game, it wasn’t easy to concentrate. That’s what I felt, although we on fairly easily in the end. It didn’t help Roma not having their fans behind them.”

Was that the cause of the win, not Real Madrid playing well?

“Well, it helped that most of their important players were injured [laughs]. We played Roma a lot during that period and they always gave us a tough game. They were a great team.”

What else do you recall?

“That you could hear the manager’s instructions, loud and clear! [laughs]. It was all very strange.”

-Marco Ruiz