Zinedine Zidane has hailed the presence of crucial first-team player and skipper Sergio Ramos after Real Madrid defeated Sevilla to lift the UEFA Super Cup in Trondheim on Tuesday. Sergio Ramos rose to the occasion when his team needed him the most, as Real Madrid overcame a goal’s deficit, courtesy of their captain’s header in stoppage-time.
After drawing level, Zidane’s men took advantage of the 10-man Sevilla as Dani Carvajal made a brilliant recovery, followed by a solo run and a neat finish which sealed the tie for Real Madrid.
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Zinedine Zidane lavished praise on Ramos as he guided the Blancos to a win without Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Toni Kroos. Besides the equalizer, Sergio Ramos was denied a goal in extra time as well. It seems the manager revelled on his stunning performance as he singled out Ramos for being the difference-maker.
Zidane said, "Sergio Ramos is our captain, an important player and he's always there to earn us the trophy. There were no special instructions for him. With a player like Sergio, he's always been the difference. We've seen it before. He's grown as a player, too. In this final, he was there just where he needed to be."
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The UEFA Super Cup is played out between the winners of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. As rare as it is to make an appearance in such finals, it is even more so to add the trophy to one’s collection. Having won it earlier as a player, Zidane now became the fifth coach to win the trophy. Describing the feeling and lauding team’s efforts in winning it, Zidane continued, "It's incredible. When you're looking to do something and you dream of it, you have to carry on fighting until the last second; this has its rewards.
"The collective work is what you have to highlight. To win a trophy is always incredible. The game had its different phases and we have to continue working hard to make sure we're in form going into the season.
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Zidane further emphasized on his squad, "We have a good squad," the manager said. "We have players who also weren't here today; four or five players in fact. It's a good squad. We've got young and experienced players. The group is always the most important; it's always been that way.""We have a good squad," the manager said. "We have players who also weren't here today; four or five players in fact. It's a good squad. We've got young and experienced players. The group is always the most important; it's always been that way."
After a closely-fought all-Spanish final, Zidane made it a point to congratulate Sevilla as well. He said, “You have to congratulate Sevilla on their great performance. Sometimes to play a great game it takes two sides and today we saw just that. In the end, we won, but Sevilla were very good.”
Sevilla have won the Europa League for the last three times in-a-row, however, couldn’t win any of the UEFA Super Cups that they qualified for in the last three years.
