Zinedine Zidane hailed Sergio Ramos as a “special” player, and praised his team’s spirit after Real Madrid mounted another comeback to trump Deportivo La Coruna 3-2.
Real Madrid set a club record of 35 games unbeaten in all competitions with a late surge for a 3-2 win against Deportivo on Saturday. Mariano Diaz, who came on as a substitute, equalised with six minutes left and Sergio Ramos sent the Bernabeu wild when he powered in a header from a corner during stoppage-time — just a week after his late equaliser against Barcelona with a similar goal.
Speaking about the record in his post-match press conference, Zidane hailed the attitude of his players, while understandably singling out match-winner Sergio Ramos for praise :
“My players have incredible belief. We know that we can achieve great things together.” he said.
“Ramos is special. He is our captain; he’s the soul of this team. Ramos has this undying belief that he can change things even in the last minute. He’s incredible.”
“There are certain expectations placed upon us – they come with the shirt. The players gave their soul until the very end. We suffered, but we believed; it’s amazing.”
Ramos was once again the saviour, as he has been on so many occasions for Real Madrid in the past. His late equaliser against Barcelona ensured that his club maintained the 6 point lead they have worked so hard to open up, while his dramatic equalisers in both of Madrid’s recent Champions League final victories will go down in Madrid history. Ramos is a player who, time and time again, refuses to accept defeat and does everything he can to pull his team up by the boot-straps.
Zidane must be given equal credit for instilling this belief into his players, and the fact that he has one of the best win percentages of all time as Real Madrid manager is no coincidence.
Real Madrid’s victory means that they continue to push for another La Liga title, having maintained their 6 point lead after Barcelona cruised to a 3-0 victory over Osasuna.
