Marcelino: “We have to come back stronger”
Marcelino: “We have to come back stronger”
Marcelino was philosophical about the final defeat, saying “the team fought valiantly against the most important teams in LaLiga”
Athletic Club manager Marcelino admitted losing in the Supercopa final against Real Madrid was a tough moment, but insisted the Lions can also take positives from the last few days in Saudi Arabia.
“We have to come back stronger,” Marcelino said at a post-match press conference. “We fought valiantly against the best teams in LaLiga.
“It’s sad because we were one win away from retaining this trophy, but we’re so proud of our players.”
The Lions lost 0-2, with Luka Modric and Karim Benzema scoring Real Madrid’s goal. There was controversy surrounding an early penalty shout for a handball by David Alaba and then again later on when Real Madrid were awarded a spot-kick the ball struck Yeray’s arm in the box, the subsequent penalty being converted by Benzema.
Athletic had a chance to pull one back in the dying minutes when Eder Militao blocked Raúl García’s header with his hands. The striker stepped up but Thibaut Courtois got a foot to the penalty to keep it out.
“They played a very good game and at certain moments we weren’t organised well enough,” Marcelino said post-match. “We conceded the goal at the end of the first half, when we had the game under control heading into the break.
“In the second half, their penalty made the game very difficult for us. We tried to close the gap, but luck wasn’t on our side with Raúl García’s penalty and we didn’t have enough minutes to make the most of having an extra man.”