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ZinedineZidane ‘very vexed’ over Cristiano Ronaldo’s five-game ban as Real Madrid wait on appeal
Real Madrid boss ZinedineZidane is angry over the five-game ban on Cristiano Ronaldo.
The striker was sent off at Barcelona in Real’s 3-1 win in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup Final – and then pushed the referee.
The Spanish Football Federation gave him an extra four games on top of the one-match automatic suspension for the ordering off.
Ronaldo and Madrid have appealed the suspension and the committee will respond on Wednesday morning.
Zidane said: “I am annoyed. We are very annoyed.
“I’m not going to have a go at the referees, but when you look and see what happened, to think Cristiano is not going to play five games …
“Something happened there, I’m annoyed. What happened, happened, but when you look at what happened and see they have given him five games, it’s a lot.”
Zidane, though, wants his players to remember the positive build-up they have enjoyed.
“A coach expects his team to be right when the official matches begin,” Zidane added.
...
... “We prepared for that and (in the first leg against Barcelona) we competed very well, we played very well and won showing our personality. It was down to all the hard work on the tour,” he said.
“We are happy about what we’ve done so far, but it is a long season and we still have to work hard.”
Despite defending a 3-1 lead, Zidane is taking nothing for granted in what will be a third El Clasico meeting before the new campaign, having lined up against Barcelona last month in Florida, where they lost 3-2.
“Anything is possible. In football nothing is certain,” he said. “We will have to play very well because Barcelona can cause you problems at any time.
“They are a team with a lot of pride and they’re going to come here wanting to turn the game around.
“We are not going to let our guard down because we expect a difficult game, more difficult than the first leg.”
Manchester United lost 2-1 against Real Madrid in their Super Cup showdown
They doubled their lead when Isco calmly slotted in from eight yards after a neat one-two with Gareth Bale, who started ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.
New £75m striker RomeluLukaku tapped in before Marcus Rashford scuffed wide.
The Europa League winners were given encouragement by Lukaku’s strike, despite rarely threatening the Madrid goal in the previous hour, and could have scored a barely deserved equaliser through half-time substitute Rashford with nine minutes left.
United were unable to create another clear-cut chance as Madrid became the first team to retain the Super Cup since 1990.
With temperatures over 30C in the Macedonian capital, the match was twice stopped for scheduled cooling breaks implemented by governing body Uefa.
The Red Devils have spent £146m this summer on Everton striker Lukaku (£75m), Chelsea midfielder NemanjaMatic (£40m) and Benfica defender Victor Lindelof (£31m) as they look to improve on a disappointing sixth-placed finish in the Premier League last season.
All three new signings started as Mourinho named a strong side against the European champions.
Only Ronaldo was missing from the Madrid team which started their victory against Juventus in the Champions League final, providing a stern test for Mourinho’s new-look side.
But United struggled against the continent’s best, particularly in the first half, as Madrid controlled the tempo with their crisp and purposeful passing.
The English side were unable to effectively keep possession before half-time – managing just 39% of the ball – and mustered only one shot on target when Lukaku headed straight at Madrid keeper KeylorNavas.
Mourinho introduced teenager Rashford at the break, looking to stretch the Spanish club – who the Portuguese boss managed between 2010 and 2013 – on the break.
Although the Red Devils did improve in the second half, they still looked well short of being able to compete with Europe’s most talented sides going into their return to the Champions League this season.
Madrid continued to create chances throughout. Bale smashed against the bar when the score was 2-0, while David de Gea also produced superb saves to stop Toni Kroos, KarimBenzema and Marco Asensio.
The former Southampton player had a chance to prove his worth to ZinedineZidane as he started up front alongside KarimBenzema.
He instinctively fired over early on, then set up Isco with a perfectly weighted pass before smashing a rising right-footed drive against the bar.
Bale, who was brought off after 75 minutes, will be pleased with his contribution in an impressive team performance.
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