Zinedine Zidane was full of praise for Claudio Ranieri, as his side did the impossible by winning the Premier League against all odds. The Foxes were 5000/1 at the start of the season to claim the title but they proved all their doubters wrong.
This is the first title Leicester have won in their 132-year history as a club. They have managed to win it in their 48th season in the top flight of English football. They needed 3 points coming into the previous weekend of fixtures to secure the league.
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But they only managed a point at Old Trafford after a 1-1 draw with Manchester United. That meant Tottenham had to slip up against Chelsea and the title would be theirs. Initially, it looked like the race would drag on for another week when Spurs took a 2-0 lead into half time.
But a goal from Gary Cahill and an 83rd-minute equalizer from Eden Hazard sparked wild celebrations among the Leicester fans and players who were watching the game. Hazard who hadn’t scored at Stamford Bridge in the league since the goal that clinched Chelsea the title last year won it this time for Leicester City.
Zidane was very pleased for Ranieri and hailed his management of the team saying, “I think Claudio Ranieri has done a phenomenal job. I’m happy for him.” Many have claimed the title win to be an improbable and almost miraculous occurrence.
But Zidane said its purely down to the club’s effort saying,”There are no miracles in football though, only just reward for hard work.” His Real Madrid team will need to put in the same kind of hard work tonight as they welcome the visit of Manchester City.
After a stale 0-0 draw in the first leg, the Frenchman will be hoping his team can produce a better performance in the second leg with home crowd advantage. There is also good news for Real fans as Ronaldo is set to make his return after Zidane deemed him fit to play.
“Cristiano is okay. He is 100 per cent. He trained this morning and he will be there tomorrow. The whole week, little by little, Ronaldo has been recovering. That's how it is with this player” said the manager.
Madrid will need their talisman firing on all cylinders if they want to experience another magical night at the Bernabeu.
