Cucurella and Mikel Oyarzabal share Bernabéu moment as Mourinho points to fatigue | OneFootball

Mikel Oyarzabal was central to a memorable night at the Santiago Bernabéu, even as Real Sociedad lost to Real Madrid, sharing a pre-match ovation with Marc Cucurella and later drawing comment from José Mourinho.

According to Diario Vasco, minutes before kick-off the Bernabéu honoured Cucurella for Spain’s recent World Cup triumph in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The left-back presented the trophy to the home support, then, after Oyarzabal initially hesitated and the stadium announcer named him, beckoned the Real Sociedad captain into the official photo to warm applause.

Cucurella later joked that Oyarzabal had left him alone in front of danger, but said he was delighted on a very special day. Oyarzabal thanked the Bernabéu for the ovation, said it was Cucurella’s moment and that he was happy for him.

Mourinho used Oyarzabal’s first start as a reference point when discussing a congested calendar after the World Cup. He thanked LaLiga for allowing an extra week and suggested the forward looked as if, after five minutes, he had only five more in his legs.

After the defeat, Oyarzabal praised Real Sociedad’s opening spell, saying they went toe to toe for roughly an hour. He accepted Madrid were stronger late on and stressed the need to sustain it for 90 minutes.

He added that his side lacked bravery to create chances after the interval and left too much space. Looking ahead, he urged a response at Anoeta, targeting three points against Espanyol.

Source: Diario Vasco

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”