SPAIN: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Real Madrid punish Galatasaray 3 - 0 in their Champions League quarter-final first leg

Record ID: 574169

  • Title: SPAIN: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Real Madrid punish Galatasaray 3 - 0 in their Champions League quarter-final first leg
  • Date: 4th April 2013
  • Summary: MADRID, SPAIN (APRIL 3, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF REAL MADRID COACH JOSE MOURINHO ENTERING NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) REAL MADRID COACH JOSE MOURINHO, SAYING: "It was a serious game and we played with humility. We respected our opponents, stopping the opponent's attacks on us and then Higuain scored as did Benzema. That was great for his confidence but I would be happy even if they had not scored." JOURNALISTS AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) REAL MADRID COACH JOSE MOURINHO, SAYING: "They need a miracle but there are miracles in football. The history of football is full of miracles so why can't they dream with the miracle. I have enough experience to understand that we have a very good result but it's not over and I will try everything in my hands to convince my players that it's not over and that we have to go there seriously and of course if we score one goal they have to score five. But I think we have to go there with the same mentality we were today." JOURNALISTS AT NEWS CONFERENCE MOURINHO LEAVING THE NEWS CONFERENCE JOURNALISTS AT NEWS CONFERENCE GALATASARAY COACH FATIH TERIM ENTERING NEWS CONFERENCE NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) GALATASARAY COACH FATIH TERIM, SAYING: "I couldn't see if they were penalties but I was told that they were. The game was won by Real Madrid so we shouldn't overshadow their victory with talk about the referees. The referee was scared of Real Madrid." CAMERA OPERATOR (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) GALATASARAY COACH FATIH TERIM, SAYING: "After 3 - 0 you need a miracle, but in football there is a possibility but it's very difficult to do that against Real Madrid. In Istanbul, in front of our supporters, we will play good football. Today the score wasn't what we expected. In this competition, Real Madrid wants to become the champion." STEWARD TERIM LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 19th April 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Spain
  • Country: Spain
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVADJISG35VB66C9UBGWLTHAA18I
  • Story Text: A contented Jose Mourinho told reporters on Wednesday (April 3) that his team had shown respect to Galatasaray as they stopped them 3-0 in their first leg Champions League quarter-final.
    "It was a serious game and we played with humility," the Portuguese said. "We respected our opponents, stopping the opponent's attacks on us and then Higuain scored as did Benzema. That was great for his confidence but I would be happy even if they had not scored."
    Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring at the Santiago Bernab�. The Turkish visitors failed to stop the local attack and after 28 minutes Karim Benzema added a second goal from inside the box. Gonzalo Higuain, who came on as a subsitute in the second half to replace Benzema, guaranteed an uphill battle for the Istanbul side when he found the back of the net in the 73rd minute.
    Galatasaray struggled to keep up the pace despite showing some moments of promise. They failed to get past Real Madrid's Diego Lopez. The goalkeeper was bought in the winter transfer market by the Spanish club to substitute Iker Casillas while he recovers from his hand injury.
    "They need a miracle but there are miracles in football," Mourinho declared, adding a warning against complacency.
    "The history of football is full of miracles so why can't they dream with the miracle. I have enough experience to understand that we have a very good result but it's not over and I will try everything in my hands to convince my players that it's not over and that we have to go there seriously and of course if we score one goal they have to score five. But I think we have to go there with the same mentality we were today."
    The visitor's coach, Fatih Terim, congratulated Real Madrid on their victory, however made it clear that he was not pleased with two possible penalties that were not awarded by the referee.
    "I couldn't see if they were penalties but I was told that they were. The game was won by Real Madrid so we shouldn't overshadow their victory with talk about the referees," he said.
    "The referee was scared of Real Madrid," he added.
    The Galatasaray coach noted the clear difference in quality between the two teams and despite facing an difficult battle at home in Istanbul Terim remained in confident spirits.
    "After 3-0 you need a miracle, but in football there is a possibility but it's very difficult to do that against Real Madrid. In Istanbul, in front of our supporters, we will play good football. Today the score wasn't what we expected. In this competition, Real Madrid wants to become the champion," he conceded.
    The two teams were last paired in the same stage in 2001 when Real Madrid knocked out the Turkish side. Galatasaray face a formidable task when they host Jose Mourinho's side in the return leg on April 9.
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