Zidane criticises Madrid's lack of intensity in PSG defeat | OneFootball

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·18 September 2019

Zidane criticises Madrid's lack of intensity in PSG defeat

Article image:Zidane criticises Madrid's lack of intensity in PSG defeat

Zinedine Zidane criticised Real Madrid for a lack of intensity during their 3-0 Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.

Madrid were humbled at the Parc des Princes, where an Angel Di Maria brace and a late Thomas Meunier goal saw the Ligue 1 giants to victory in their Group A opener.


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Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema had efforts ruled out for Madrid, who fell to a PSG side that were without Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani.

Zidane, whose team failed to record a shot on target, was unhappy with Madrid's intensity in Paris midweek.

"They have surpassed us in everything, especially what bothers me is the intensity," the Madrid head coach told a news conference, via AS.

"At this level, in this competition, it is complicated if you don't enter the field well. They have surpassed us."

Zidane added: "They are good at creating chances. What has worried me is to see my team without the necessary intensity.

"We know that the opponent was going to put a lot of pressure on us. We have almost never entered the game. We had only two chances and made two goals, but the VAR has ruled them out."

Di Maria opened the scoring for PSG when the attacker beat Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois at his near post in the 14th minute.

However, Zidane refused to blame his shot-stopper – later beaten by Di Maria from 20 yards before Meunier's late sealer – following the defeat.

"We are all in the same boat. When we win, we all win. And when we lose, we all lose," he said.

"I don't want to point at anyone. It is everyone's fault when it is lost."

While Madrid failed to have a single shot on target in a Champions League game for the first time since Opta started recording the data in 2003-04, Zidane is unworried about his side's ability to create.

"I didn't like not creating opportunities with the players we have on the field. It is what it is. We have almost never entered the game," he said.

"I am not worried. Normally we have occasions."