Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane issued an apology after his mistakes led to the team’s defeat against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. Real Madrid failed to overcome a first-leg deficit and slumped to a second successive defeat against the Premier League unit to end their hopes of Champions League glory.
The La Liga outfit travelled to Manchester after ending their domestic campaign on a high. However, Manchester City’s high pressure was too hot for Real Madrid to handle as they found themselves on the back foot right from the kick-off.
Goals from Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus across each half sealed City’s quarter-final spot while Varane was directly at fault for both the goals. After the match, during the post-match interview, Raphael Varane apologized for his lacklustre showing. He said:
“I wanted to step up tonight. This defeat is my fault, all mine. I have to accept that. I am sorry for my teammates and all the efforts that they put in. This defeat is my responsibility. We played well, we prepared for the match well, but like I said, errors are costly at this level,”
👉@raphaelvarane: "I want to step up. This defeat is my fault, all mine. I have to accept that. I am sorry for my teammates and all the effort they put in." #HalaMadrid | #RMUCL pic.twitter.com/STZuCH1xH1
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) August 7, 2020
Real Madrid’s disaster recipe and a night to forget for Varane
Los Blancos’ ploy to play out from the back against a relentless pressing unit of Manchester City self detonated within the first ten minutes itself. Raphael Varane was at fault after giving away the ball inside the penalty area to Gabriel Jesus, who put through for Raheem Sterling to extend their chances in the tie.
While Karim Benzema dragged the La Liga side back into the tie with a towering header, all hopes were lost as City extended their grip over the tie with a goal through Gabriel Jesus. The French center-back was at fault once again this time. After failing to clear out a relatively usual long ball, Gabriel Jesus was quick to latch upon the Varane’s blunder and proceeded to calmly scoop it over a hapless Thibaut Courtois to put the game into bed.
While Real Madrid exit the competition, Manchester City are headed for Portugal to compete in the advanced knock-out stages. Pep Guardiola’s side will face Lyon next after the Ligue 1 outfit shocked fans all over by knocking out Serie A champions Juventus.
This was the first Champions League knockout exit in Zinedine Zidane’s managerial career. The La Liga outfit have a huge summer ahead of them as they determine the fate of Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez while looking to infuse the squad with talent as well.
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