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Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Bodo Illgner has claimed Los Blancos should not underestimate Wolfsburg, their rival in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

“Real Madrid shouldn’t underestimate Wolfsburg. The only thing left for both teams is to offer their fans something to compensate a disappointing season, which is only possible in the Champions League,” the German told Kicker magazine.

Illgner reminded that Schalke were close to knocking Los Merengues out last year: “Last season we saw what happens with rivals that are inferior in theory. Schalke put Real Madrid in big trouble in the second leg.”

The Los Blancos legend explained Wolfsburg are going through a specific preparation to beat Real in the Champions League: “Wolfsburg will go into both games against Real Madrid completely focussed.”

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Lucas Vazquez
Jose luis Morales competes for the ball with Lucas Vazquez - Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images

Liverpool have reportedly shown an interest in signing Real Madrid youngster Lucas Vazquez next summer.

According to Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, Jurgen Klopp has requested the club’s directors to bring the 24-year-old to Anfield Road to reinforce his midfield line.

The Spaniard has been a key player for Zinedine Zidane since the France international arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu. However, since Gareth Bale returned from his injury, Vazquez has barely played.

If he player doesn’t get the minutes of play he needs, he could seek for a move, and Liverpool want to be first in line to land him.

Vazquez grew up at Los Blancos youth categories. He moved to Espanyol last season, but Real brought him back in the summer in a one-million-euro deal.

The footballer has a running contract with Real Madrid until 2020. Zidane is very happy with his performances, and it seems highly unlikely that he will let Vazquez go. However, if the player requests a transfer, Florentino Perez could be forced to negotiate.

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Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas has hailed his team mates for not giving in despite the tough circumstances they found themselves in at the Camp Nou on Saturday.

Facing their biggest rivals on their home turf Los Blancos fell behind to a Gerard Pique goal. WIth Luis Enrique’s men on a 39-game unbeaten run and Real’s best hope of silverware being the Champions League, some would have understood if Real had slipped to defeat.

But the responded through a brilliant Karim Benzema bicycle kick. Sergio Ramos was then sent off with seven minutes remaining but Cristiano Ronaldo managed to find a winner just two minutes later.

Navas told reporters afterwards he was delighted with his team mate’s character.

He stated: “I think that we put in a great performance, all of the players made a massive effort. Barcelona opened the scoring, but we didn’t give in. We knew what we needed to do and I think that all of my teammates did an excellent job.”

And he continued: “We know that we have to fight right until the end and give one last push. We’ve very happy, I think that this is a special moment. It was my first Clásico and it was a good experience. I’m playing and I’m feeling very confident, my teammates help me out a lot. Now it’s the Champions League and we musn’t ease off and we have to continue on in the same vein.”

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Pepe GI

Real Madrid defender Pepe says spirit and humility are two of the key factors for success after Los Blancos defeated arch rivals Barcelona 2-1.

Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo got the goals in a memorable 2-1 win at the Camp Nou that saw Zinedine Zidane’s men cut the gap on the leaders to seven points and renew their hope of lifting the title.

With the Champions League still to play for, Pepe said remaining humble and playing with togetherness will be crucial in the weeks ahead.

He was quoted by the official website as saying: “Football show us that with spirit and humility one can achieve great success. We showed great respect for the opposition, we played for our fans and ultimately we’ve given them a victory. Everyone comes out of this on a high and it’s special to win at the Camp Nou. We’ve shown that we’re a team that wants to win and that by working together things become easier and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”

And he added: “This win means a lot to us. It’s been a tough year for everyone and this win shows all of our spirit and desire, something which has been questioned by many. The coach focussed on the key areas and we were well prepared for the game. The win gives us three points, but moreover we needed to give our supporters a win like this.”

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Real Madrid left back Marcelo has hailed his team mates for their ability to dig deep and grind out a result after they beat fierce rivals Barcelona 2-1.

Goals from Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo saw the 10-time Champions League winners see off Luis Enrique’s side after the hosts had taken the lead through Gerard Pique. Real also had to play the final seven minutes without Sergio Ramos who was sent off for two yellow cards.

Speaking to journalists, Marcelo admitted it was a tough game but that he was proud the players hung on for the three points.

“Every single team has to learn to dig in against Barcelona. We did just that, we hung on and showed some patience. The players that we’ve got up top it make it easier for us to break on the counter, but the whole team worked hard, from Keylor right through to Cristiano, and we did a really great job. These three points give us a boost to keep on fighting,” he said.

He continued: “Facing Barcelona, one of the best teams in the world is tough, and to play against them here is even more difficult. When you’ve not got the ball you need to run lots and dig in and try and catch them on the counter, but there were spells during which we managed to keep the ball. We owed our supporters one and we’ve shown that we can go all the way against anyone, but the most important thing is that we all worked hard and that we picked up the three points.”

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Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos admits he was nervous after he was sent off against Barcelona on Saturday evening and praised his team mates for coming through.

The defender was given his marching orders for a second yellow card seven minutes before the end of the game with the score at 1-1. Two minutes later Cristiano Ronaldo popped up to net the winner for Los Blancos to close the gap on the league leaders to seven points and end their 39-game unbeaten run.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Ramos said he was worried about his team going down to 10 at the home of their fierce rivals but added Real had show incredible spirit.

“When they send you off with not long left, you are nervous. The pride and commitment that the boys show when they go a man down fills you with satisfaction. Football has these critical moments, and when you’re playing on the limits, with such good strikers, you can overdo it, like what happened to me. It serves as a lesson for me. If that was what helped us to win, I would have got myself sent off after five minutes,” he stated.

Like Gareth Bale, he also refused to give up on the La Liga title just yet.

He added: “Now we’re 7 points behind, there will be people who consider La Liga closer and a possibility. As long as there is a chance, and as long as there are points available, Real Madrid must fight. They are 3 important points gained on Barcelona, the strongest rival, and it’s great for us mentally going into the final stage of the season. This victory tastes glorious.”

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Jese Rodriguez says the Real Madrid deserved to celebrate a win in the Camp Nou on Saturday evening.

Los Blancos reduced the gap on Barcelona to seven points thanks to a magnificent 2-1 win at the home of their fierce rivals.

Gerard Pique gave the hosts the lead early in the second half but Real responded with goals from Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.

–Read more Real Madrid news

The win is certainly the highlight of Real’s season so far having had a somewhat underwhelming season by their standards. The hope now is that the Santiago Bernabeu side can carry the win into the Champions League and win La Undecima.

Speaking the media after the final whistle, Jese said he was delighted with the result because the Camp Nou is such a tough place to get a win. He added that after the difficulties of this season – the poor performance in the league, the battering by Barca at home in November, the elimination from the Copa del Rey – that Madridistas deserved a memorable win.

He told the club’s official website: “We’re happy with the win and in the second half we showed our character. I’m pleased from a personal point of view because it’s difficult to beat Barcelona in the Camp Nou, but I focus on the work of the team during the second half. The fans deserve a victory like this.”

Here’s what the fans over at Real Galacticos made of the win.

 

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Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale believes Los Blancos can still win La Liga this season after defeating Barcelona in El Clasico on Saturday.

“I think winning La Liga is possible if we believe we can make it. We know it will not be easy, but we can give ourselves a chance. The most important was the victory, which helps us build and feel stronger,” the Welshman said.

Asked about his goal that was disallowed by the referee, Bale was very surprised with that call: “I can’t believe it was disallowed. The referee told me I pushed him, but I didn’t touch him. I am taller than him and tried to make sure of not touching him because I know how referees are in Spain.”

Los Blancos scored the winning goal despite being down to ten men. “We knew our strengh was counter-attacking. We always felt we could beat them by counter-attacking even if we were down to ten,” Bale admitted.

Bale confessed he hopes this defeat will affect Barcelona: “I hope it will. If we wanted to win La Liga, we had to win this game. I’ve played many derbies and this has been one of the best. It’s always nice to beat them.”

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Zinedine Zidane has admitted the victory against Barcelona has been very important for his team. Real Madrid beat their arch-rivals in El Clasico thanks to goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, and the French manager was pleased with his players’ performance.

“I’m very happy with everything, not just the result,” the Los Blancos boss confessed. “We struggled a bit at first, but that’s normal because it’s a difficult ground to play. It is not an easy ground and I’m very proud of the players,” he added.

Asked about the key men in this victory, Zidane refused to highlight any of them: “I liked all my players. When I see the team together and each one fighting for their friends, for the coach, it’s the best.”

The manager doesn’t want to think about winning La Liga for now: “First, we have to overtake Atletico Madrid in the table, we are still third, seven points behind Barca. Then, we will see.”

“We will fight until the end, but our next match is not a league match. We are thinking about Wolfsburg now,” Zidane concluded.

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Daniel Carvajal

Real Madrid defender Daniel Carvajal praised his team-mates following Los Blancos victory in El Clasico against Barcelona.

The Spaniard was very happy with the win against their arch-rivals and claimed the result was fair: “It was a very tough game. We were very good defensively. Our second half was brilliant. We went after them and the victory is fair.”

Asked about the controversial decisions from the referee, Carvajal refused to comment on them: “We have been comfortable during the whole match. Ramos red card, Bale’s goal… Those are just decisions. We have never given up and thanks to that ambition we’ve been able to win.”

“The coach’s idea was clear. This was El Clasico and we had to go out to win and die. We are reinforced after this match,” the defender said.

The 24-year-old thanked the fans for their support: “Thank you to all Madridistas. This continues. On Wednesday there’s an important match and we will try to dedicate a new victory to them.”

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