Real Madrid defender Pepe has apologised to fans for the performance the team put in on Sunday night as they went down to a 4-2 defeat away at Real Sociedad.
The Portugal defender said the defeat was hard to take, especially having been leading 2-0 and cruising in the first half hour. Talking to the club’s official website, the 31-year-old said the only way to overcome a loss like that is to work hard and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
“We began the game well, but at 0-2 up we let the intensity drop. They came at us and we didn’t keep our heads, or sacrifice ourselves enough, to get through it. The whole team is to blame. We’re sorry to the fans, this is hard for us to take, it hurts,” Pepe commented.
Being critical of his and the team’s performance, he admitted there was not enough fighting spirit in the team and that needs to be improved, particularly with the start of the Champions League and another clash with Atletico just around the corner after the international break.
“We just can’t let a 0-2 lead slip like that. We all have to roll up our sleeves and fight. We knew this was a difficult place to come, we knew they’d keep going to the end, and they got their reward. A lot of people are going to find it hard to sleep tonight because of us, and that’s not right. The club’s motto is to fight to the very end, and tonight we failed the shirt,” he commented.