Real Madrid were never afraid of Atletico comeback, insists Marcelo

Joe Wright

Real Madrid were never afraid of Atletico comeback, insists Marcelo image

Real Madrid full-back Marcelo insists his side were never afraid of failing to reach the Champions League final despite their 2-1 second-leg defeat to Atletico Madrid.

Trailing 3-0 from the first leg, Diego Simeone's side scored twice in the first 16 minutes through Saul Niguez and Antoine Griezmann to give themselves hope of a stunning comeback at the expense of the holders.

Isco should start final ahead of Bale

However, a goal from Isco shortly before half-time effectively killed the contest and Madrid saw out the second half in more comfortable fashion to progress to the final with a 4-2 aggregate win.

Marcelo felt Madrid fully deserved to progress and is relishing the chance to fight for a LaLiga and Champions League double in the last three weeks of the season.

"We conceded two goals but in the end we were superior. At the start we let in goals that we didn't want but we knew that it was going to be difficult. We started to take control," he told BeIN Sports.

Asked if he feared an aggregate defeat, he replied: "Not at any moment. We're Real Madrid and we're going to fight until the end, always respecting the opposition. 

"Now we think about LaLiga and there are only amazing games left."

Isco's goal came about after a quite brilliant piece of skill from Karim Benzema that left three Atletico defenders for dead to the left of the penalty area.

Marcelo praised his team-mate's contribution, adding: "Karim helped us with his magic that he has and we're very happy to go through.

"We are happy. On this pitch, the fans are very important. I hope they keep supporting us because they help our game."

Joe Wright

Joe Wright Photo

Joe is a Senior Editor at Sporting News. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform editorial news service, covering major global sports including football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby union and athletics. Joe has reported live on some of the biggest games in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup final at the end of a month in Russia.