Real Madrid News: Sergio Ramos mocks Atletico Madrid for celebrating their 7-3 friendly win 'like it was a final'

What's the story?

Sergio Ramos has accused Atletico Madrid fans of celebrating their 7-3 win over Real Madrid like it was a final, as he explained his side's loss to their cross-city rivals in the International Champions Cup over the weekend.

In case you didn't know...

Real Madrid suffered a humiliating loss to Atletico Madrid in New Jersey, in a heated game that saw 10 goals scored and two red cards branded.

Diego Costa made the headlines after scoring four goals before being sent off with Dani Carvajal for an altercation. The Rojiblancos' £113 million summer signing Joao Felix netted his first goal for the club during the game, with Angel Correa and Vitolo also finding their way onto the score sheet.

It took six Atletico goals for Real Madrid, who started with new signings Eden Hazard and Luka Jovic, to wake up and reduce the deficit courtesy of Nacho. Karim Benzema and Javier Hernandez Carrera found the back of the net much later in the game, but their contributions were too little considering Atleti's early onslaught.

Los Blancos manager Zinedine Zidane however, remains convinced that his side will have a good season and insisted that they will compete at the highest level despite the loss.

Real Madrid have not enjoyed the best of pre-season tours, having lost 3-1 to Bayern Munich earlier as well.

The heart of the matter

Ramos has tried to justify Real Madrid's loss by claiming that they did not take the game as seriously as they would if it was a competitive match. He further mocked the Rojiblancos for celebrating the win like it was a final.

Speaking to reporters (via AS English), the defender said, "We're obviously not feeling great right now. This has only just begun, they're preparation games to get us up to the top level. There are many ways in which to lose, but we can't be doing it like we did today."

"We played the game like a friendly, it's a big margin and we head away frustrated. It's a very poor result and we have to try and reach the levels we aspire to."

"This team's ambition remains intact. We've won an awful lot but that's in the past now. We have to forget about what happened last season, this is a pre-season campaign and it's far too soon to draw conclusions and be assessing things. We have to keep training as we are every day and we'll gradually reach our best to take on the challenges of the new season."

The Blancos captain added, "We played a friendly match and they went at it as if it were a final. We have to bring that intensity to every game. They got the better of us in terms of intensity, second balls, pressing, and they were sharp in front of goal today too."

"Ultimately, they are still our direct city rivals and madridismo will be frustrated like we are because you can't go home happy after a loss. We're getting in shape to try and reach our best and we'll draw conclusions once LaLiga has started and we've started to play competitive games."

What's next?

Real Madrid are next scheduled to face Champions League runners-up Tottenham Hotspur in the Audi Cup on July 30.