RAMOS PENALTY WAS DELIBERATE

Spanish defender Sergio Ramos has admitted that the chipped penalty he scored against Portugal was a deliberate one in order to gain the mental advantage in the penalty shootout. Portugal are taking on Spain in the first semi-final knowing that the winner could face the Germany or Italy in the final of the competition.

Spain were certainly the favourites to win the tie after they have been finding their feet in the competition of late. Cristiano Ronaldo was an excellent from for Portugal, but both sides were extremely disappointing in the 90 min. After the 0-0 draw with Portugal, the match went into penalties.

In the quarter-final match between Italy and England, the Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo attempted an audacious chipped penalty in the game when Italy were trailing in the penalty shootout. This gave the Italian’s the edge mentally and they never looked back since then. They defeated England on penalties. Sergio Ramos has admitted that he used the tactics deliberately against Portugal. It seemed to work after Portugal defender Bruno Alves hit the bar following the penalty taken by Sergio Ramos. Spain then went on to win the match on penalty shootout, which puts them into the final of the competition.

“I’d planned it in advance, I won’t lie. After my last experience with penalties with Real Madrid in the Champions League, people said I wasn’t ready for the responsibility of taking a penalty. But I had confidence in myself and I wanted to try again. It was a risk, of course, but I had seen how the goalkeeper moved and I was pretty sure he would go one way or the other. It was lucky, but it was great for me,” said Ramos after the match. The Real Madrid defender was later given the man of the match award for his extraordinary performance in the match.

RAMOS PLEASED WITH SEASON

Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos has said that he is extremely satisfied with this season’s achievements. Real Madrid are close to lifting the league title for the first time in three years, but they have been eliminated on the domestic and European cups.

However, it will be the exit from the Champions League at the semi-final stage that will hurt the most for Real Madrid. Despite having the second leg at home, Real Madrid were not able to push their advantage after they suffered an exit from the Champions League on penalties at the hands of Bayern Munich.

Yet, Sergio Ramos reckons that it has been a successful season for Real Madrid mainly because they have managed to get the league title from the clutches of Barcelona. Even more satisfying is the fact that they have actually managed to inflict first defeat on Barcelona in the league for more than three years. Hence, the defender says that it is a more than successful campaign and he cannot wait for the next season to start. Real Madrid have a seven point lead over Barcelona in the title race with only three matches remaining. They can secure the title this weekend if they win and Barcelona failed to win their match.

“We tried everything but we knew we faced the likes of [Arjen] Robben, [Franck] Ribery and [Mario] Gomez. The match went through many different phases after our second goal. We can’t attack all the time. We must move on. This hurts because the final was within our reach. It’s a real shame to be eliminated in a penalty shoot-out. It is something you never want. We must hold our heads high,” Ramos said after the 2-1 second leg win over Bayern Munich. Real Madrid went out of the competition from penalties after the 3-3 aggregate draw.

RAMOS STAYS COOL

Sergio Ramos has told his co players to stay cool on the field. Real Madrid is closer to the League victory. Right now in the League table Barcelona and Real Madrid are going side by side. It is a great opportunity for Madrid to lift the club this year.