Soccer:Sergio Ramos assured all concerned the famous Copa del Rey cup is "fine" after he embarrassingly dropped the silverware from the open-top bus during Real Madrid's victory parade after defeating rivals Barcelona in last night's final.
Ramos had the cup on top of his head as the bus inched past thousands of Real fans celebrating in the centre of the Spanish capital. However, as he lowered the silver trophy it slipped from his grasp and in front of the open-top vehicle which ran over it.
"The Cup has fallen, the Cup has fallen," local media originally quoted him as saying. Later he would try to clarify and make light work of the unenviable situation.
"There has been a misunderstanding about the cup," Ramos wrote on his Twitteraccount today. "It didn't fall, it jumped when it got to Cibeles and saw so many Madristas (Real Madrid fans)." Later in the day he added a second tweet: "Don't worry, it's (Cup) fine."
Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said the Copa del Rey win shows his side can compete with their rivals and can come out on top in the clubs’ forthcoming Champions League semi-final tie.
Mourinho picked up his first trophy as Real Madrid boss following the hard fought 1-0 win, which saw his side ride their luck at times before edging out their fierce rivals thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s header in extra-time.
Angel di Maria, who set up the goal for the Portuguese, was later sent off but Madrid held on to give Mourinho a first trophy in Spain.
“I am thrilled to win the Copa del Rey — it is something special,” Mourinho said after the game. “It’s a fantastic triumph against a great team like Barcelona — and we deserved it.”
Mourinho’s men were humbled by Barca in his first Clasico, a 5-0 drubbing at the Nou Camp in late December. But a 1-1 draw at home to the Catalans in the Primera Division renewed optimism and Mourinho believes this triumph shows his team can match the Spanish champions.
“We can take them on over two games; we have just done that,” he said. “There is no reason we can’t beat them in the Champions League because we have just drawn once against them and then beaten them.”
And the former Chelsea and Inter Milan coach says the Copa del Rey is just the beginning for this Madrid side.
“I came here to do a job and change the mentality of the club,” he said. “We have started to do that and it’s satisfying — but it’s just the start.”
Ronaldo, the match-winner said he knew the first goal would prove crucial.
“We knew that whoever scored first would win it — and so it proved,” he said. “Mourinho has given us a winning spirit and this is a really important trophy for us — it was an objective we had for this season and we have achieved it.”
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola was philosophical in defeat after losing his first final as coach of the Catalan club.
“It’s always better to win than to lose,” Guardiola said after the game. “But life is like that — you can’t always win.”
