"I take responsibility, and whatever has to happen will happen" - Zinedine Zidane after Real Madrid's shock exit from the Copa del Rey

Real Madrid crashed out of the Copa del Rey after losing to third division side Alcoyano in the competition's Round of 32 on Wednesday.

Following the match, Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane took full responsibility for the defeat, stating that his team tried their best but it simply didn't work out for them.

Eder Militao found the back of the net and gave Real Madrid a 1-0 lead at the stroke of half-time. Alcoyano equalised in the 80th minute, subsequently dragging the match into extra-time.

The second half of extra-time saw the underdogs being reduced to ten men when Ramon Lopez was showed his second yellow card of the match and sent off.

Remarkably, Real Madrid failed to capitalise on the advantage as Juanan scored the winner with 5 minutes left. Alcoyano went on to complete a massive upset, eliminating Real Madrid from this season's Copa del Rey.

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Following his side's exit from the competition, Zinedine Zidane spoke about his match and his team's performance at a press conference and said (as per Goal.com):

“When you lose, you always talk. I take responsibility and whatever has to happen, will happen. I am very calm, the players wanted to win the game. They try and sometimes different things happen. You have to assume responsibility.

“I am going to assume it, as always. The players have tried and if we score the second goal it is another match, football is like that. The goalkeeper has made two or three saves and didn't allow us to score the second goal. But I have the responsibility. We are out”, Zidane added.

Is Zidane still the right coach for this team? #Zidane #RealMadrid #footballtwitter

— I AM LUC (@iamluc__) January 21, 2021

Zinedine Zidane went on to defend his players and also rued the several chances his team created but failed to put away.

“We have tried, I think the players have left everything on the field. We had chances and when you don't put them in, what happened to us can happen. It is a difficult moment, we are out of the Copa, we had to do something else but we couldn't. The players have tried. This is football, it is very difficult because we played against a Segunda B team and we have to win the game, but it didn't go like that."

The Frenchman added:

“It's not a shame, it can happen, it happens, these are things that happen in a football career. I assume responsibility and we will continue working. We will not go crazy," he added.

Zinedine Zidane admits pressure on him is building at Real Madrid

Is Zinedine Zidane running out of time at Real Madrid?

Real Madrid's Copa del Rey exit has made matters worse for Zinedine Zidane. Last week, Los Blancos were also knocked out of the Supercopa de Espana after losing to Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals.

Sack Zidane. This is absolutely ridiculous that #RealMadrid are losing to such teams. From a fan's perspective this is unacceptable.

— Ajitt Menonn🇮🇳 (@AjitMenon_Real) January 21, 2021

In La Liga, Real Madrid sit second on the table, 4 points off league leaders Atletico Madrid (who have played 2 fewer matches). With recent results going against his side, Zinedine Zidane admitted that the pressure on him is building at Real Madrid and that he is not entirely confident that his players still back him.

He said:

“I think so but you have to ask them [if I still have their support]. We have done good things, not so much lately, but apart from the last games we did good things this season. We have to concentrate on the things that can be done."