As has been the case on numerous occasions this season, Real Madrid once again came back from a one-goal deficit to beat Las Palmas 2-1 away at Estadio Gran Canaria.
After having been pegged back early in the second half by their hosts, Real Madrid mounted a spirited fightback as Vinicius Jr. scored the equaliser a little after the hour mark.
And, substitute Aurelien Tchouameni, celebrating his 24th birthday today, won it for Carlo Ancelotti’s side in the 84th minute.
The match-winner spoke to the media after the game and started out by praising Las Palmas for making things difficult for Real Madrid on the evening.
“We played a great game against a great team, Las Palmas is a team that plays very well, especially on the ball. It was an important goal for the team, as was Vini’s goal,” said Tchouameni.
Of late, Real Madrid have been scoring a number of goals from corner kicks and set-pieces, with Tchouameni carrying on the trend today by heading in Toni Kroos’ corner. When asked about it, the midfielder said:
“It’s a very important facet of our game. We work on it every day, especially before every game, and it is something very important for us because it is helping us to win games.”
Tchouameni was benched by manager Ancelotti today, with Eduardo Camavinga getting the nod ahead of him in the holding midfield position. Discussing the competition for places in the squad, the match-winner said:
“It’s always the same, sometimes Edu plays, sometimes I play, but the most important thing is to give everything on the pitch. I’m happy with Edu’s game, he’s my brother, but we all have our chances and we have to give everything when they come.
“I know it’s not possible to always play incredible games, but I know it’s possible to always give everything. We are going to fight with this incredible squad to win the league.”
Over the past week, there have been allegations made from rivals that referees favour Real Madrid. Barcelona president Joan Laporta went as far as saying that La Liga had become ‘adulterated’ because of it.
When asked for his opinion on the comments, Tchouameni replied: “We don’t care what they say. Referees are people and they make mistakes like us, sometimes it’s good for us and sometimes it’s not. We are doing very well and we are going to continue like this until the end. We don’t care what happens outside”.
Tchouameni had copped some criticism after Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey defeat to Atletico Madrid as he had made a mistake leading to Antoine Griezmann’s extra-time goal.
While he admitted that he could have done better, the Frenchman iterated that nobody can question his commitment and mentality, saying:
“I could have done better in the cup goal, but don’t want people to doubt my mentality. When we played against Barcelona I played to the end with my injury. It can happen, there can be criticism at Real Madrid, nothing happens, because I always say it’s a dream to play for this team.”
Of late, Tchouameni has been forced to fill in at centre-back due to injuries in the defensive department. When asked about his favourite position, he replied:
“You know what I prefer, but if I can help I don’t care. I prefer to play as a midfielder, but if I have to play as a centre-back, I’ll give everything, that’s the most important thing. Playing at centre-back is different, but the important thing is to learn all the time.”
On the La Liga title race, he added: “There are more, apart from Girona there is Barça, Atlético, Athletic…. But as always, the most important thing is us. If we win everything until the end we will be champions.”