Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane believes the hard-fought draw against bitter rivals Barcelona does not change the dimensions of the title race and the Frenchman has urged his side to keep working hard in order to secure their first La Liga crown since 2012. Los Blancos managed to salvage a vital point in El Clasico courtesy of a late header by their skipper, Sergio Ramos.
The draw helped Real to maintain their 6 point lead over Barcelona but Zidane insists his side shouldn’t get carried away with the result.
“I don't think it's a hit to Barca's confidence,” opined Zidane. “It is a good point, and we keep picking them up. What stands out for me is the work of the whole team. It's a point, a win is three points so it doesn't feel like that [like a win]. But we can be proud of this game against very tough opposition. We have a six-point advantage and I don't think this changes anything. We still have to work in this long season and now we have to see what happens in the next game.”
Real were arguably the better side in a dull first half but they couldn’t break the deadlock. It was Luis Suarez who opened the scoring after he got on the end of Neymar’s free kick 8 minutes into the second half. Andreas Iniesta came on in the 60th minute and Barcelona looked like their usual self after his introduction.
Neymar and Messi had chances to put the game to bed, but their efforts were uncharacteristically off target. They were left to rue those misses as Luka Modric delivered an absolute peach into the box in the last minute of normal time and Sergio Ramos who has a habit of scoring crucial headers for the Los Blancos added another one to that list.
Praise for Ramos and Modric
Zidane didn’t hesitate to praise the efforts of both Ramos and Modric. “Ramos doesn't surprise me,” Zidane said. “It's what he has, a big personality and in games like this, he's always there, always encouraging players and never drops his guard. He never gives up. Modric, as we know, is very important for us and as always, he did a great performance. Little by little he is picking up fitness because he has been injured and it looks like he is back in full force.”
The Los Blancos have now extended their unbeaten streak to 33 games and they next face Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League. Following the visit of BVB, they host Deportivo La Coruna in their last league game of this calendar year as they fly to Japan to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup.
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