Schalke boss Roberto Di Matteo feels Real Madrid’s extra quality in attack made the difference last night in Gelsenkirchen.
Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo relegated Schalke to a 2-0 home defeat against Real Madrid at the Veltins-Arena in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie.
Though they did create a few opportunities, they were not able to match the European champions for quality in the final third and ultimately paid the price with a loss at home.
Di Matteo admits that his side were always up against it as Real Madrid have the quality in their forward line to shred any defence in the world and said that extra touch of class finally made the difference on the night.
“We fought well and tried everything against a very strong opponent”, Di Matteo told UEFA.
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“Real's quality is what made the difference today, especially in attack. If you allow Madrid space, they are very dangerous. We could see that at the end of the first half, when there were more openings.
“If you allow room for [Gareth] Bale, Ronaldo and [Karim] Benzema, it is very dangerous.”
After conceding two away goals, Schalke are facing an uphill task to overturn the deficit at the Bernabeu next month, but Di Matteo is refusing to lose hope and said that an upset is always possible in football.
“Anything is possible in football which is why we now have to believe we can do something in Madrid.”
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