Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas admitted he was at fault for the opening goal in his side's comeback 2-1 La Liga win at home to Real Betis on Sunday evening, but said he was happy to still have the confidence of his colleagues.
Betis had gone ahead on 24 minutes when Navas helped Tonny Sanabria's 10-yard shot to the net, but Cristiano Ronaldo equalised late in the first half, and after the visitors' Christian Piccini was sent off yet another late header from captain Sergio Ramos brought the win which moved Madrid back ahead of Barcelona at the top of the table.
The Costa Rica international said in the Bernabeu mixed zone: "I stopped the ball, and when I went to gather it my position was not the best. I touched the ball with my right hand, and it's bad luck. It is not good, you do not want to see yourself in such circumstances. I had to move on."
The error came just minutes after Navas was lucky not to be red carded for a professional foul on the visitors' Darko Brasanac, when he ran way out of goal and dived head first at the ball, missing it completely but clattering into the Serbia midfielder.
"I tried to touch the ball with my head, and we collided," he said. "I never thought of going for the player, in any moment, my intention was to go for the ball. He was also coming at me, and we collided."
The Bernabeu reacted with whistles for the former Levante keeper, who has also made mistakes which cost his team against Valencia, Sevilla, Kashima Antlers and Borussia Dortmund in recent months. Navas did save some face late on however, with an excellent 93rd-minute save from Betis substitute Alex Alegria's header, which coach Zinedine Zidane said afterwards had won the three points for his side.
"I was relaxed at having done my job," he said. "That is why I try and do my best every day for my teammates, the coaching staff who have faith in me, and my family. We are a team, they are always with me. I know they trust in me, and that convinces me that these things will not happen again."
The error will have done nothing to quiet persistent speculation that Madrid president Florentino Perez plans to sign either Manchester United's David De Gea or Chelsea's Thibaut Courtois this summer. Navas said he just focused on his own work, while admitting that he hoped his form would turn around soon.
"I just go out to play relaxed, and try and do my job," he said. "There are moments when things do not go well, and others times they do. You must keep a cool head, and know how to manage the situation. I have had bad moments and many good moments. I hope to get back to the good moments."
The decision by referee Mateu Lahoz not to punish Navas' collision with Brasanac featured heavily at Betis' coach Victor Sanchez del Amo's postgame news conference.
"I have not seen it again, but they told me it was a clear red card for Navas," Victor said. "Obviously that would have changed the game. We would have played the rest of the game with an extra player. When they had an extra player they scored and won the game."
Betis midfielder Dani Ceballos told Marca that experienced official Antonio Mateu Lahoz had discussed the call not to send off Navas with the players at half-time.
"[Mateu Lahoz] knows there was contact and he admits it but not enough to call it," Ceballos said in Marca. "He lacked a little bit of bravery to leave Madrid with a man less in the 20th minute."