Zidane admits ‘it could be over’ after Copa del Rey exit

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane [Photo:Courtesy]

Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane admits that his job may be on the line ahead of their Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain following their shocking Copa Del Rey exit in the quarter-finals after they were humbled by Leganes on Wednesday.

'Of course, I'm responsible. This is a failure for me.' He told Daily Mail

'We did not play the game, above all in the first half, that we needed to. We did not play well at their place in the first leg, but we got the 1-0 win and tonight we did not play the game that we needed to play. It is very tough. This is a difficult night. We had 90 minutes to do a job and we could not do it.' He added.

The former three times FIFA World Player of the Year rested Christiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale for the match a decision that backfired spectacularly as he lost to Leganes in the quarter-finals.

The results of the match will mount pressure on Madrid board to spend big next summer with Premier League targets likely to include Eden Hazard, Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah to boost the squad for better performance.

It was never expected that a Spanish team from Leganes, in the outskirts of Madrid to knock out the European Champions in an important competition, but miscalculation from Zidane made it easier for The Legionaries to dump them out of the competition on away goals after a historic 2-1 win at the Bernabeu.

Real Madrid sits in position 4 with 35 points as Barcelona leads with 56 points after 20 games. They must beat Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League next month to save their season and the coach's job.

Three seasons ago, Leganes were in the backwater in Segunda División B and they had never reached the cup quarter-finals but now they are in the semi-finals courtesy to their win at the Bernabeu. There were tears from the visiting players as they celebrated with supporters on the final whistle, as for Madrid there were jeers from the supporters still left in the stadium.

'I don't know what to say. Nobody believed this would happen. I can't put into words how it felt to score the winner. I was smiling when I saw the ball go in. Madrid tried but they couldn't get their second goal. I just hope our supporters enjoy this famous win.’ Leganes' goal scorer Gabriel told the Daily Mail.

Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane admits that his job may be on the line ahead of their Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain following their shocking Copa Del Rey exit in the quarter-finals after they were humbled by Leganes on Wednesday.

'Of course, I'm responsible. This is a failure for me.' He told Daily Mail

'We did not play the game, above all in the first half, that we needed to. We did not play well at their place in the first leg, but we got the 1-0 win and tonight we did not play the game that we needed to play. It is very tough. This is a difficult night. We had 90 minutes to do a job and we could not do it.' He added.

The former three times FIFA World Player of the Year rested Christiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale for the match a decision that backfired spectacularly as he lost to Leganes in the quarter-finals.

The results of the match will mount pressure on Madrid board to spend big next summer with Premier League targets likely to include Eden Hazard, Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah to boost the squad for better performance.

It was never expected that a Spanish team from Leganes, in the outskirts of Madrid to knock out the European Champions in an important competition, but miscalculation from Zidane made it easier for The Legionaries to dump them out of the competition on away goals after a historic 2-1 win at the Bernabeu.

Three seasons ago, Leganes were in the backwater in Segunda División B and they had never reached the cup quarter-finals but now they are in the semi-finals courtesy to their win at the Bernabeu. There were tears from the visiting players as they celebrated with supporters on the final whistle, as for Madrid there were jeers from the supporters still left in the stadium.

'I don't know what to say. Nobody believed this would happen. I can't put into words how it felt to score the winner. I was smiling when I saw the ball go in. Madrid tried but they couldn't get their second goal. I just hope our supporters enjoy this famous win.’ Leganes' goal scorer Gabriel told the Daily Mail.


Real Madrid sits in position 4 with 35 points as Barcelona leads with 56 points after 20 games. They must beat Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League next month to save their season and the coach's job.

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