Federico Valverde pleased after Real Madrid’s nervy win over Rayo Vallecano: ‘Winning always brings happiness’ | OneFootball

Real Madrid narrowly scraped past a nine-man Rayo Vallecano on Sunday evening in a game that could well have gone either way.

While Los Blancos did take the lead in the first-half, the visitors capitalised immediately after the break and went on to even dominate the proceedings for a large part.

After going a man down, however, they began to crack and Real Madrid mounted pressure on them in extra time, winning a penalty and securing a winner through Kylian Mbappe.

Valverde’s post-game thoughts

Real Madrid captain Federico Valverde opened up to the media after Real Madrid’s nervy win but showed great optimism and positivity while reflecting on the proceedings against Rayo Vallecano.

“This was the perfect opportunity to show the level, to avenge what happened a few days ago. The most important thing is to get better.”

He then spoke on the importance of taking all three points, and how it mattered a lot to the dressing room especially given how recent times have been for them.

“It’s clear that winning always brings happiness, and the energy changes. It changes a lot, but for me, the most fundamental thing is to continue improving.”

“To continue growing as a team, and to try to make the match more relaxed, well before the ninetieth minute ends,” he added.

Valverde played all ninety minutes for Real Madrid. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Valverde then commented on the importance of taking more charge during games and not relying only on opposition errors to bury the result.

“We can’t always wait for the opposing team to make a mistake; we have to continue improving offensively and continue scoring more goals.”

“We were playing well and dominating the ball. We should have created more chances. The substitutions helped us win the match,” he concluded on the performance.

Finally, he spoke on the team not having a game midweek and what they must do to make the most of the week ahead.

“You have to work to the maximum, be willing for whatever the coach wants. Listen and work physically and tactically, that what is coming now is the most important and the most beautiful thing.”

Source: Real Madrid website