Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said he felt "screwed" after his team again conceded a late equaliser in Tuesday's thrill-a-minute 2-2 Champions League Group F draw at Borussia Dortmund.

The see-saw battle saw Cristiano Ronaldo finish a sweeping counter-attack to put Madrid in front, then Dortmund back on level terms when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored after a Keylor Navas error.

Upfield for a corner kick, Raphael Varane finished from close range for 2-1 midway through the second half, before Dortmund substitute Christian Pulisic crossed for fellow replacement Andre Schurrle to equalise with just three minutes remaining.

After recent La Liga draws against Villarreal and Las Palmas, this was the third time in eight days that Madrid had let a lead slip, and the Blancos coach told his postmatch news conference at the Westfalenstadion that he was proud of his team, who had deserved to win the game.

"I feel screwed as we played a great game, made huge effort everyone in attack and defence," Zidane said. "We played the game we hoped to. But in the end, the same again, it is the third game in a row.

"I feel bad for the players, they do not deserve this. It is not a bad result, but being 2-1 up with three minutes left. You feel screwed."

Zidane said his players had not repeated the same mistakes in concentration which had allowed Las Palmas to equalise last weekend, saying that all teams who come to play at Dortmund knew they would "suffer" at times.

"Against Las Palmas we lacked concentration at the end," he said. "Today that did not happen. From minute one to 90 we did our jobs.

"In the first half we suffered with their counters, but that is normal here, in this stadium. Then to be 2-1 ahead, with three minutes left, it is difficult. But we will keep going and we will change this."

With Real 2-1 up, both teams had plenty of chances as the game got very stretched and Ronaldo and Gareth Bale both came close to what would have been a clinching goal for their side. Zidane denied he should have made changes earlier but said his side might have killed the game.

"We need to score another goal, as with just a one-goal advantage this can happen," Zidane said. "What we wanted to do was come here and play well, and we did that. But football is like that, these are three draws and sometimes can have a bad run. I think it will end soon.

"The players are professional, intelligent, and they will rest well and move onto the next game to change this."

Navas was making his first appearance of the season, having undergone a heel operation in early June. Zidane said that although he had been at fault for Dortmund's first goal, overall the Costa Rica international had played well.

"[Navas] did very well," he said. "He has been out for four months. And his first game was here. But he has the personality to play anywhere. He did well. In the goal it is bad luck, that can happen. I am very happy with how he played."

Varane was at fault for goals against both Villarreal and Las Palmas, but Zidane said he was delighted with how his fellow Frenchman had bounced back by getting on the scoresheet himself.

"He had bad luck with the [Aubameyang] goal, but then he scored himself," Zidane said. "I saw him very good, he was very focused, was up against a very fast forward. He played very well. I am very happy with his game."

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by Dermot Corrigan

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