- Sergio Ramos was beaming with pride after Real Madrid downed PSG at home
- The Parisians lost 3-1 at the Bernabeu after a late collapse in the last-16 first leg
- The Real Madrid captain insisted critics should never write off Madrid’s quality
Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos insisted critics should never write off Real Madrid after their crucial 3-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
The two European heavyweights met at the Bernabeu on Tuesday in arguably the glamour tie of the last-16 stage.
And despite falling behind to an Adrien Rabiot goal, Madrid showed character and desire to fightback in the competition they are currently the holders of as a brace from Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo sent them to a 3-1 win.
Sergio Ramos hailed the spirit and character Real Madrid showed to comeback and beat PSG
Despite Adrien Rabiot’s opener, Madrid fought back for a 3-1 win in the crucial last-16 first leg
‘It was an important victory,’ Ramos said, as quoted by AS . ‘These are Champions League days to be remembered and what better way to do it than with this personality and this important win.
‘We have a serious team. We’ve done a great job and the result is fair. We had that effectiveness in front of goal that we’ve been missing in other games, we joined the lines… congratulations to the team for their work.’
Madrid were under pressure to deliver in the Champions League as it remains the only trophy left they have the realistic chance to win this season.
They sit 17 points adrift of Barcelona in La Liga and were knocked out of the Copa del Rey recently by Leganes.
The pressure was on Madrid to deliver in the tournament they have won in the last two seasons
Madrid are now favourites to progress past PSG ahead of the second leg in Paris on March 6
‘There’s no time for regrets,’ Ramos said. ‘Despite the goal, we kept looking for the win with a lot of personality. You can never take Madrid for dead.’
Madrid are now favourites to progress but PSG’s daunting home record this season, having won every single match in the capital in 2017-18, is a warning that the tie is far from over.
They Parisians also famously overturned a 3-1 deficit to Madrid in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup in 1993, winning the second leg on home soil 4-1 to go through.
The Champions League holders travel to the Parc des Princes for the second leg on March 6.
