Two free-kick goals from Declan Rice and a fierce effort from Mikel Merino forced Real Madrid to succumb to a 3-0 defeat against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday – but Lucas Vázquez insists that los Blancos can still progress to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
“We didn’t play well,” he admitted following defeat in North London.
“Arsenal played a great game; they created opportunities, applied pressure and we didn’t find our groove. We had a few isolated chances in their half but we weren’t able to keep possession for a long time or pin them back in their half, and that made the difference,” the Real Madrid captain explained.
It came as the second defeat in as many matches for los Blancos following their late defeat to Valencia in LaLiga on Sunday, with Vázquez highlighting that “we aren’t used to losing two games in a row.”
“All we have to do is work and believe in ourselves more than ever, but this team deserves everyone’s trust. We’ll give it all to turn this tie around,” he assured fans.
“It’s complicated but if there is any team in the world that can come back from this situation, it’s us – with our fans and our stadium. Wednesday will be a different game in this respect, and together we’ll progress forwards.”
Estadio Santiago Bernabéu will host the second leg next Wednesday, with kick-off at 20:00 BST [21:00 CEST].