Dinamo coach praises Real victory

Dinamo Zagreb coach Krunoslav Jurcic has praised Real Madrid following a 6-2 loss to the Spanish side in Group D of the Champions League.

Having trailed 4-0 after only 20 minutes, the Croatian side were unable to earn a result, leaving them without a point after five matches.

“Someone asked me before the game if we will be overwhelmed by playing at Santiago Bernebeu. I really didn’t expect that we would be overwhelmed like this,” Jurcic told UEFA.com.

“After only nine minutes we were 3-0 down. The only good thing for me is the second half but it seemed that Real Madrid slowed down in the second half.”

“We need to learn more, it is a great honour to play in the UEFA Champions League group stage,” Jurcic said.

With Real Madrid having led 6-0 after Karim Benzema scored his second goal in the 66th minute, Dinamo Zagreb were able to reduce the deficit through two late goals from Fatos Beqiraj and Ivan Tomecak.

As the result provided Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho with what he personally labelled a “perfect night”, the Dinamo Zagreb coach shared praise for the Spanish side.

“Our tactics were to be aggressive and attack them, but they were too fast for us,” Jurcic said.

“It was a magnificent performance from Real Madrid, who are a class above everyone else in the group.”

“I do not want to understate the two goals we scored against them. We have to take satisfaction from those moments, they are important for us.”

“Against Lyon it will be difficult but we will try to perform at the right level and end the Champions League in a nice way.”

Dinamo Zagreb’s final group stage match against the French side is at Stadion Maksimir in Zagreb on December 7.