The Spain international blamed poor finishing for his side’s European exit at the hands of the Serie A kings
Sergio Ramos conceded Juventus were worthy Champions League finalists and blamed wastefulness in front of goal for the reason why Real Madrid’s title defence ended on Wednesday.
Madrid went into the second leg of their semi-final 2-1 down but Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty put them back on level terms on aggregate.
The Portuguese star then had another chance to put Madrid in complete control but opted to cross instead of shoot and the opportunity went begging, before Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema also narrowly missed out on scoring a crucial second.
Juve made the most of their good fortune when former Madrid striker Alvaro Morata pinched a second-half equaliser to put the Italian champions through and leave Ramos in reflective mood.
He told Canal+: “Juventus deserve to be in the final. We had the opportunity in the first half, not just the goal, but we failed and we paid for that. After Morata’s goal the team went down mentally, we were knocked down.”
It has been a damaging few days for Madrid, and coach Carlo Ancelotti in particular, with Wednesday’s European exit following hot on the heels of Saturday’s home draw with Valencia which means they are unlikely to reclaim the Liga crown.
“It hurts to throw away the season. After paddling so much we will stay on the shore. The defeats stay longer than the victories and if you lose, you go home,” added defender Ramos.
“There was a brilliant atmosphere in the Bernabeu. We are grateful and indebted to our fans.”