Iñigo Pérez lamented the defeat despite Villarreal’s outstanding performance against Real Madrid

Villarreal CF head coach Iñigo Pérez spoke to the media following his side’s narrow 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid. The Villarreal coach expressed his disappointment at coming away empty-handed after such an impressive display at the Santiago Bernabéu: “We lacked the finishing touch and the clinical edge in attack to complete an almost perfect performance. We played a great game against a difficult opponent and in a stadium where it is very hard for visiting teams, but after a defeat it is difficult to take a positive view of things.”

When asked about the match statistics, Pérez played down the significance of dominating many of the key numbers: “If the league table were decided by statistics, we’d be near the top. We’ll look at the numbers and I’m sure they confirm the excellent performance from the players, but after a defeat this isn’t the time to focus on those kinds of readings.”

The Villarreal coach also admitted his frustration with the final result while emphasising the importance of continuing on the same path: “Of course it’s frustrating when matches slip away by such a small margin. We can see that we’re competing well and that we’re close to winning games. When you don’t get the result despite deserving more, as happened today, it’s frustrating. But we’re clear that we have to keep going in this direction. It’s important that the players continue to believe in this idea, as they do, and that we give them the tools to keep doing their job and help ensure that the victories arrive.”