Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane said he is “not going to resign” after defeat by Shakhtar Donetsk left his side’s hopes of reaching the Champions League last 16 in the balance.
The 13-time European champions are third in Group B, with all four sides still able to qualify in next week’s final round of matches.
Real must beat leaders Borussia Monchengladbach to guarantee progress.
“I am not going to resign, not at all,” said Zidane following the 2-0 loss.
“We are always going to have difficult moments, and we are on a bad run, but we need to keep going,” added the Frenchman, whose side suffered a shock 2-1 defeat by Alaves in La Liga on Saturday.
“I have the strength needed to turn the situation around and I am going to give everything to do that. So are the players.
“We played well and we deserved more. We just need to lift our heads up and think about the next game.”
It was Real’s second defeat by Shakhtar in this season’s competition, the Ukrainian side winning the reverse fixture 3-2 in Madrid.
Romelu Lukaku scored twice as Inter Milan beat Monchengladbach 3-2 later on Tuesday to keep their hopes of qualification alive.
The Spanish champions, currently fourth in La Liga, were without injured pair Eden Hazard and captain Sergio Ramos but welcomed back talisman Karim Benzema for their return to the stadium where they were last crowned European champions in 2018.
Real started well as Marco Asensio hit the post after five minutes and Benzema drew goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin into action.
Trubin then tipped over from Asensio’s powerful shot before half-time and again denied Benzema, before Dentinho and Manor Solomon struck in the second half for Shakhtar.
Dentinho pounced on Raphael Varane’s error after 57 minutes and, rather than retreat, Shakhtar were rewarded for pursuing a second eight minutes from time when Solomon found the bottom corner.
Shakhtar had not scored in three group games since their opening victory over Real and conceded a total of 10 goals in heavy back-to-back defeats by Monchengladbach.
But their superior head-to-head record over Real means Shakhtar occupy second place in the group, one point behind Monchengladbach heading into a dramatic final round.
BBC
