“When it happens you stand there on the line thinking about it and you want to leave your penalty area and try to get the equaliser yourself, but you know you can’t. So you can imagine how I felt when Sergio’s header went in.
“One of the sad things about football is that people only remember the most recent thing you have done. My mistake allowed Atletico to take the lead, yet winning a trophy is not about one game.
“It’s about the whole season and fighting to reach the final and my season in the competition had been very good.
“But we had been in control of the game and an absurd moment from me looked like costing us the match.
“I remember looking around the stadium and seeing thousands of people with white shirts and I felt terrible.
“Luckily in the last move of the game we got the draw and then I think the extra time reflected how much better we really were.
“Sergio’s goal rescued me from a lot of criticism. I’m sure quite a few papers had to change their headlines in that last minute,” he maintained.
The 33-year-old admits Madrid’s obsession with winning the ‘decima’ has now been replaced by a desire for an 11th title.
“This club is so big that winning the European Cup buys you a month’s grace. When you have as good a team as we have then you must go out and win it again.”
