Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 7y

Zinedine Zidane bemoans Real Madrid's finishing in Clasico defeat

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane criticised his team's tendency to miss chances and not kill off games, after they were beaten 3-2 at home by Barcelona in Sunday's dramatic Clasico, which sees the Catalans take over top spot in La Liga, although Madrid do have an extra game left to play.

Lionel Messi's 93rd-minute winner settled the game after James Rodriguez appeared to have gained a draw for the 10-man home side, who had Sergio Ramos sent off.

Madrid had 22 shots on goal -- 14 of which were on target -- but Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos, Marco Asensio and Luka Modric were all denied by Barca goalkeeper Marc Andre Ter Stegen.

"We had chances to kill the game ourselves, many chances to score goals," Zidane said. "That is where we are disappointed, with our [missed] opportunities. We have had many chances in many games, and not taken them. In the end you are punished against a team who knows how to play and can do you damage. And they did. But I have nothing to reproach my players."

Zidane admitted that his players had been rash not to sit back and defend with the score 2-2 and time almost up, but would not criticise their ambition directly.

"We thought we could score a third goal," he said. "It is not that we lacked intelligence. Equalising, with 10, and then going to press very high, is dangerous, and we paid for that. But I will not reproach the players. We always go for the game. We are disappointed as we did not deserve to lose, but football is like that."

The result throws back open the title race, although Madrid will still win a first title since 2012 should they win all six of their remaining fixtures.

"Nothing changes now," Zidane said. "Maybe after today there will be more Liga. But we still depend on ourselves. Today was not about deciding La Liga, winning, losing, drawing, nothing was going to change. Although of course it would have been better to get the three points. We will keep going and think already about Wednesday's game [at Deportivo La Coruna]. This will not change what we are doing. We will be positive until the end."

Ramos' sending off was the 22nd of his career and his fifth in a Clasico. Zidane turned down the chance to criticise Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez after a local reporter suggested the referee had succumbed to pressure from Barca defender Gerard Pique to flash red.

"I don't want to know anything about that," Zidane said. "The referee decided to show a red to Sergio, we must accept that."

Wales international Gareth Bale had returned from injury to start the game, but limped off before half-time with an apparent recurrence of a long-standing calf problem.

"[Bale] said he was feeling good; excited about playing," Zidane said. "I am not sorry about anything. I am disappointed for him. He wanted to play, felt well, started well, but then we cannot control that. We will see what injury he has exactly, do tests tomorrow, and I hope it is not too bad for him."

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