Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane praised his side's ability to withstand pressure after it ended a troubling week of results by beating Sevilla 1-0 away from home on Saturday in La Liga.
An own goal by Sevilla keeper Bono handed Madrid victory and the perfect response to losing against Alaves last weekend and Wednesday's defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk, which endangered its chances of qualifying from its Champions League group.
“We've earned three very important points but the most important thing is the performance,” Zidane told a news conference after earning a first league win in four games.
“From the first minute to the last we were excellent, even though we had to suffer a bit in the second half. This was a hugely-deserved win over a top opponent, a side which can have you against the ropes at any moment.
“We overcame that and I'm very pleased for the players.”
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Zidane, who led Real to the Spanish title last season, had to swallow speculation during the week that president Florentino Perez was looking to sack him after the side's poor start to the campaign.
While the victory over Sevilla was an important first step on Madrid's road to recovery, Zidane recognised there would be no let-up for his side.
Real needs to beat Borussia Monchengladbach on Wednesday to guarantee its place in the Champions League knockout stage and then it faces city rival and La Liga frontrunner Atletico Madrid.
“The last few days have been very tough but this team has a lot of character and loves challenges. Today's victory is very important for what is coming next,” he added.
“We know that whenever we don't play well there will be criticism but we have to focus on the positives and keep trying to be consistent. But we can't worry about what people say about us because that's not going to change.”
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