Valencia coach Carlos Corberan said his side had shown terrific mental strength in securing their first win at Real Madrid since 2008 on Saturday.
Hugo Duro netted the winner in added time as Valencia moved seven points clear of the relegation zone with their shock 2-1 victory.
Corberan praised his players for not letting their heads drop after Vinicius Junior equalised for the hosts five minutes after the break, cancelling out Valencia’s first-half lead from Mouctar Diakhaby’s goal.
“They competed with the necessary personality and mental strength to overcome any setback,” Corberan told reporters.
“In football, you can’t separate the emotional from the tactical. It’s impossible.
“Faced with a setback like Real Madrid’s goal, at a place where they’ve made comebacks before, having the mental strength to pick ourselves up, not let our heads drop and keep believing has been extremely important.”
Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili pulled off a string of superb saves including a first-half penalty from Vinicius Jr, a save which he said won him a bet.
“I had a conversation with Vinicius, and I won 50 euros,” Mamardashvili told reporters after the game. “I asked him if he wanted to bet 50 euros, and he said ‘yes’ and I won.”
“He ought to pay me, but he hasn’t yet.”
($1 = 0.9128 euros)
Source: CNA
