Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 7y

Zidane backs Sevilla to 'fight for the title' after Madrid's 40-game run ends

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said it "hurt" to lose their long unbeaten run with a 2-1 defeat in Sunday's pulsating top of the La Liga table clash at Sevilla, but promised that his side would bounce back quickly.

Madrid were on top in a fiercely contested and tactically fascinating game after Cristiano Ronaldo calmly converted a penalty mid-way through the first half, until Blancos captain Sergio Ramos headed a late own-goal to equalise, and Sevilla's January loan signing Stevan Jovetic scored a 92nd-minute winner from long range.

The loss ends Madrid's all-time Spanish record run of 40 games unbeaten, but the Bernabeu outfit remain top of the La Liga standings, a point clear of second place Sevilla and with a game in hand.

The Real Madrid coach told his post-match news conference that the way the game ended was tough to take given how well his team had performed for the first 85 minutes of the match.

"We just needed five more minutes," Zidane said. "It's tough to take after the game we played but we have to accept the result.

"We knew this would happen some day. At the end of the season it will be difficult. The pity is two goals in the last five minutes.

"The defeat hurts, as nobody likes to lose, and not in this way, having played 85 minutes like that. But this is football, we must accept it and move on."

Just the second own-goal of Ramos' 685 game professional career was especially remarkable given the furore which had arisen after he was whistled and insulted at the Sanchez Pizjuan during last Thursday's Copa del Rey clash and then gestured to the crowd after scoring in that game.

"I am very proud of our captain, he played a great game," Zidane said.

"An own-goal can happen in football. He showed great personality and now we must think about the next game, and congratulate Sevilla for their performance."

The second goal came after Madrid coughed up a ball inside their own half, but Zidane was keen not to point fingers at any individuals.

"It was a free kick and own-goal, and then losing the ball near half-way," he said. "But that can happen. It is not about lack of concentration, just moments in a game.

"I am very proud of all we did, the players over these 40 games. The dressing room is not happy, playing as we did, and then what happened in just the last five minutes. But I am happy with how we played. Now we must rest now, think about the next game, and start another run full of motivation."

The French coach had surprised with a starting team which included three centre-backs and lined up in a 3-5-2 formation -- and explained that the idea had been a one-off change in an attempt to surprise Sevilla.

"I liked how we played, with personality," he said. "Playing three times against the same team in 10 days, we had to change. We will see if it happens again. But I am happy with what the players did."

Zidane accepted that the result confirms Sevilla, who have won La Liga just once in their history (in 1945-46), as surprise challengers for this year's title.

"Sevilla always have shown that, and again today. It was first against second, and for a reason," Zidane said. "We saw a great game for the two teams.

"Sevilla will fight for the title for sure. They play very good football, they fight, they are intense in what they do."

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