After an unlikely victory over archrivals Barcelona at the camp Nou, defender Sergio Ramos insists that Real Madrid are still in the title race.
The two teams had a huge gap of 10 points coming into the match with Barcelona running away with the title. Their unbeaten run of more than 35 games came to an end after the 2-1 defeat. The victory for Real Madrid was achieved with 10 men after Ramos was given a second yellow card. Due to these reasons, there is a lot of positivity around Madrid at the moment. Ramos reckons that the club can utilise this feeling and aim for the title in the final few matches of the campaign.
Madrid will have to rely upon Barcelona dropping points and the Catalan club being involved in the Champions League can help them in this regard. Barcelona are up against Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals of the European competition while Madrid have a much easier fixture against Wolfsburg. Manager Zinedine Zidane, though, will want Ramos to change his mentality especially against the top opposition. The defender has already been sent off 20 times in his Madrid career. His record is especially poor when it comes to games against archrivals Barcelona.
Rather than concentrating on the league, Madrid may also look to winning the 11th European cup. “Now we’re seven points behind, there will be people who consider La Liga closer and a possibility. As long as there is a chance, and as long as there are points available, Real Madrid must fight. They are three important points gained on Barcelona, our strongest rival, and it’s great for us mentally going into the final stage of the season. The pride and commitment the boys showed when they went a man down fills you with satisfaction. This victory tastes glorious,” said Ramos.