Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane cursed his side's carelessness after the European champions threw away a two-goal lead against Legia Warsaw and needed a late equaliser from Mateo Kovacic to salvage a draw yesterday morning Singapore time. Zidane was unhappy how his side lost their intensity amid a strange atmosphere at an empty stadium. Uefa had ruled the game be played behind closed doors after crowd trouble at Legia's previous Champions League game at the Polish Army Stadium.
Gareth Bale's stunning acrobatic effort gave Real the lead after 57 seconds - the club's fastest goal in the Champions League - and Karim Benzema made it in the 35th minute, only for Legia to stage a stunning comeback. Thibault Moulin put the Polish champions ahead after goals from Vadis Odjidja and Miroslav Radovic either side of half-time pegged Real back, leaving Zidane angry with his side despite Kovacic averting a first defeat of the season.
We lacked everything - intensity, movement, enthusiasm. The good thing is we didn't lose. Real have conceded seven goals in four Champions League games and have now gone 10 games without a clean sheet in all competitions. However, Zidane, who fielded Raphael Varane and Nacho as centre backs because of injuries to Sergio Ramos and Pepe, refused to blame his back four. We started well and scored twice but, if you don't maintain the necessary intensity to continue playing well, it's difficult.
I'm happy with our defence because it's not just a question of our defenders. Asked about Real's long run without a clean sheet, Zidane added: "It's not worrying but we know what we need to do and we can improve. We just need to learn from mistakes.
Real Madrid have conceded three goals in a competitive game for the first time with Zinedine Zidane as coach. Skip to main content. Nov 04, am. Related Stories. Ancelotti confident for Champions League final. Mbappe's best not enough to save PSG from getting the boot.
