Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos has admitted that he and his team played badly while losing Tuesday's Champions League semifinal first leg 2-1 at Juventus, while saying he is confident the tie can be turned around in next week's return game.
Juventus were full value for their 2-1 win, achieved via Alvaro Morata's close-range strike and a Carlos Tevez penalty, as Madrid put in one of their worst performances of the season, with Ramos floundering out of position in midfield.
However Cristiano Ronaldo's away goal leaves things finely balanced ahead of next Wednesday's second leg at Madrid's Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
Ramos told reporters after the game that he was not too disappointed as he was sure current Champions League holders Madrid would play better in the return, as it "will be difficult to play any worse."
"Disappointing would be going out," the Spain international said. "There are a lot of conclusions to be drawn. It is a day when nothing has come off for us, right from the opening minutes. After a bad result you have to stay calm and be more united than ever. Making mistakes is part of the game and we have to be self-critical and improve so that things go as we'd like at the Bernabeu. It will be difficult to play any worse than we did today."
The defender by trade admitted to have struggled playing in midfield against a Juve side which appeared to target his lack of familiarity with the role.
"I am here to help the team in any position," he said. "The other day it went well, today was a bad game on an individual and team level. I trust in the boss, and sacrifice myself for the team. I run much more than at centre-back, but I am not afraid. It wasn't a great match from a personal point of view. [But] If I have to play there again I'll do it happily."
The second leg gave Madrid an opportunity to make up for their mistakes and stick together as a team, Ramos said.
"Nobody is to blame personally," he said. "When we lose, we lose together. Unity is what's going to make the team pick itself up. We are just a step from the final, just one goal. Anyone would take being a goal away from the final, and playing the second leg at home. But this does not rub out the bad game we played."
Blancos midfielder James Rodriguez, who hit the crossbar with a flying header during the first half with the game at 1-1, told reporters that his team had been unlucky.
"If you look at the moments in the game, I think that they had a little bit of luck, like when I hit the crossbar," James said. "We have to put this behind us and focus on next Wednesday, which will be tough, they're going to be defending in numbers. We'll be on our ground and we have to go all out."
A feverous atmosphere at the Bernabeu next week would help Madrid's cause, James said.
"We have to have faith," he said. "We'll be playing in front of our fans, at our stadium, and the Bernabeu has to get right behind us, it has to be at fever pitch, so that we can go out there to win. I think that we can make it through to the final."