Zidane ´angry´ as Real Madrid let top spot slip

Zinedine Zidane was angry after Real Madrid failed to secure first place in Champions League Group F, but did not feel his team could have done much more against Borussia Dortmund.

Substitute Marco Reus scored a dramatic equaliser with two minutes remaining at the Santiago Bernabeu as the visitors claimed a 2-2 draw and the point they needed to be sure of first place.

Karim Bemzema had scored a double that appeared to set his side on the path to victory, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang gave Dortmund hope prior to Reus’ strike.

The equaliser came after Madrid spurned a string of opportunities to put the match beyond doubt – Benzema was denied a hat-trick when Reus cleared his header off the line and Cristiano Ronaldo hit the post from a brilliant chance.

The holders will now have to face a group winner in the last 16, with Arsenal and Juventus among their potential opponents.  

“When you see how the second half went you get a bit angry,” Zidane told reporters after the match.

“We had the game in our hands but this is football. You need to carry on right to the end. 

“We had chances to score a third, but that’s in the past now. We couldn’t do any more. I’ll analyse the game and we will see when things have calmed down a bit what we can take away.

“I have mixed emotions. Things happen. We missed a few chances to seal the game but we drew and came second in the group. 

“We gave our all to come first, but didn’t do it. I’m very proud of the players, their hard work, the things they did.

“Now we need to rest. The second half saw us lose a bit of intensity but we had chances to score a third.”

Zidane congratulated Dortmund on finishing first and felt they deserved it across the six matches.

He said: “They are a strong side who make life difficult and at the end of the day we needed to be a bit more on it, but it is in the past now. 

“The group is probably fair with us second and them first.

“There were a lot of chances to score the third goal. Instead, we got Dortmund back into the game. Dortmund deserved first place and they demonstrated how strong they are.

“We gave our all to come first. We didn’t achieve it. We wanted to do it but couldn’t. 

“We won’t go over it again. We came second and we’ll now see who we get in the draw.”