Sergio Ramos congratulated Atletico Madrid on their progression to the Copa del Rey quarter-finals at Real Madrid's expense.
Los Blancos exited the competition at the last-16 stage after their arch-rivals defeated them 4-3 over two legs, with last night's 2-2 draw at the Santiago Bernabeu not enough to turn the tie around in their favour.
"Goals? We all need to give explanations,” the defender said after the game. “We've exited [the competition] feeling hurt, despite a great first half. We feel we deserved more.
“Football's like that in two-legged ties. We came into the match on the back of an adverse result in the first leg.
“I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the fans who cheered us on at the Santiago Bernabeu from the first to the last second.
“We hoped to respond with progression [to the quarter-finals]. On the bright side, we must learn from this and focus on the League.
“I don't think our desire to turn the tie around hurt us. When you're at a disadvantage, it's inevitable that you rush [in your approach], but if anything we were patient.
“We're all proud of our first-half display, but when we conceded the second goal, we saw the title slip further away.
“You can't take anything away from Atleti, They know how to compete very well and I'll be the first to congratulate them for their ticket to the quarters. we focus on ours.
“I have my opinion [on the result] and I'll keep it to myself. I don't want to take anything away from them. We'll see which teams finish the season at the top.
“At this club, you have to stay calm, focus on improving and be quiet. We must move on and focus on the Champions League and La Liga. We'll give everything.”
