Post-Match Press Conference: Real Madrid 2 - 1 Real Betis

Zidane held a customary press conference after the match to impart his thoughts on Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over Real Betis.

On the Match

My evaluation of the match is very good because we picked up the three points. We didn’t have it all our own way and that’s normal, but I am happy. We must congratulate all the players because we’ve had to be patient, the result in the end is a fair one, even if at times it didn’t all go our way.

The opposition played in their own half, they defended well and caused us problems on the counter-attack. We’re happy with the result and we must congratulate the players because it wasn’t easy. The pressure is there, it doesn’t end here, there’s still a lot to play for and we know that.

I'd be more relaxed if we went two or three goals up at the beginning of the games, but this is just the way things go. We know that we're capable of scoring at any time. Today we showed patience when the going got tough and we kept our heads. We know that we're a threat from set pieces, but I'd like us to score more goals from open play.

On the Refereeing Decisions

Everyone is allowed their own opinion. During the 90 minutes we did some good things and I’ll focus on our work. I'm never going to get involved with the referee, he did his job in the game and that's it. We picked up the three points and I think we deserved it.

On Keylor Navas

It's part of the game, everyone makes mistakes. In the end he saved us. I’m happy with how his teammates got behind him. The save he made has given us the three points. The referee decides whether or not it’s a penalty. Keylor has a big personality and he made a great stop at the end. He made up for the mistake and made sure we got all three points.

On Madrid’s Ability To “Irritate” People

I'm sure that we irritate a lot of people, but it's nothing to worry about, it's to be expected. We're Madrid and we irritate a lot of people.

On Raphael Varane’s Fitness

It's looking unlikely that he'll be involved on Saturday away at Bilbao. We're going to try and get him back as soon as possible. He's just returned to training and we've got to take things slowly with him.

Once again, Zidane displayed his Ancelotti-esque calmness when answering questions from the press. He made sure to steer clear of any referee-talk and displayed a refreshing dose of honesty when expressing his thoughts about Madrid’s performance. It is reassuring to the fans to see that Zizou openly recognizes Real’s pros and cons from game to game, something most managers avoid doing almost entirely.