Casillas: Madrid were brilliant

Iker Casillas took Real Madrid’s post-match Press conference and praised their efforts for defeating Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-final.

Los Blancos recorded a one-sided 3-1 result at the Camp Nou to go through to the competition final with a 4-2 aggregate win.

 “I will not look at Barcelona. I will look to my teammates because they were brilliant,” enthused Casillas to reporters.

“They controlled every area of the field and were superb defensively. Everyone was at their best and pushed hard to make it through to the Cup final. From off of the field I saw a very sober performance and a team that were barely under pressure.

“Real Madrid beat Barcelona on the tactical front and are justified winners of the tie. This match will motivate us to push ahead for the remainder of the season and it is a moment to celebrate and to share with everyone associated with Real Madrid, although we are conscious that we have not won the title.”

Madrid are 16 points behind Barca in the League.

“You go out with extra strength and somehow more motivated after not having started as well as we wanted in the League.

“Hopefully this is a turning point to have won this tie and to make it better it was against Barcelona. We played a very good tie all round and this will motivate us to make a good showing of ourselves in other matches.

“Winning the Champions League is a better possibility than the League, but Real Madrid will fight to the end.”

Tuesday evening’s game saw Cristiano Ronaldo net the first two goals. 

“He is showing that he is a vital player for us. He has been superb but so too has the team. He is our reference point and in these matches he has shown how good he is, not just today, but in other Clasicos too.

“Ronaldo is going through a very good run of form and we must take full advantage of that. His renewal? That will have to be decided between the club and the player. The main thing is that he brings us these moments of happiness.”

Madrid face Barca again at the weekend before travelling to England for the second leg of their Champions League Last 16 clash with Manchester United.

“We have to transfer this to the match against Manchester United. It is also 1-1 and we have to score and keep a clean sheet. That is the aim that we’re going with. Manchester United know how to play football, it is a difficult place to visit and we have to take what we have done today to Old Trafford.

“Saturday’s game? I know several players from Barcelona and I know they are competitive. We have to be aware that in the League, when we do not win, the fans suffer and it is our duty to fight in every match and the next one is against Barcelona.

“What we want to do is win and keep cutting their lead. It is a disadvantage that it might not be as big as it is, but this competition is about consistency and in that regard Barcelona have been better than us.

“We will go out to win to cut the distance in terms of points. It is a considerable distance, but with the added bonus of our home fans we want to round off the week well.”

Casillas was talking in place of Coach Jose Mourinho.

“I came because we have decided that it was good time for the captain to make an appearance. It was an idea that came from the dressing room.

“I hope that has not bothered anyone because I have done it happily. We decided it was a time to enjoy and for me as team captain to come out to congratulate the team and everyone associated with Real Madrid.”

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