Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro admitted that his team "did not play well" in Wednesday's 2-1 Copa del Rey quarterfinal first leg loss at home to Celta Vigo, but the Brazilian added there is still a long way to go in the tie.
After a goalless first half at a chilly Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Celta striker Iago Aspas' 13th goal in his last 13 games in all competitions put the Galicians ahead soon after the break. Marcelo quickly equalised for the home side, before the visitors full-back Jonny almost immediately made it 2-1 with the three goals coming in just six minutes.
Blancos coach Zinedine Zidane made a number of tactical changes to try and get his team back into the game, but they looked disorganised and dispirited by the end and now face a big challenge if they are to progress in next Wednesday's second leg at Balaidos.
Speaking on BeIn Sports after the final whistle, Casemiro admitted that his team had not been at their best, but predicted they would make up for it next week in Vigo.
"We did not play well," the Brazil international said. "We had a good first half but didn't score. There is still a long way to go, the away game. We know they are dangerous [at Balaidos], but so are we. And we will have to go there and do something."
Both Celta's goals came after lightning breaks when Madrid had lost possession and could not get back quickly enough, but Casemiro denied his team had been surprised by their opponents.
"We knew that Celta can play good football," he said. "But there is still a long way to go, an important game, and we must fight until the end."
Following Madrid's 2-1 La Liga defeat at Sevilla on Sunday evening, the result means that Zidane's side have now followed a record 40 game unbeaten run in all competitions with two straight defeats.
Casemiro suggested that the manner of defeat at Sevilla, when Madrid had played well but lost out to two late goals, had hurt them.
"Madrid should never lose -- we always want to win," he said. "We were on a very good run. The game at Sevilla hurt us, although we played well. Today we did not play well. But we move on and must keep working hard. We have no doubts, we have done many good things, and there's still a long way to go."