MADRID: Zinedine Zidane has denied already telling his players he will resign as Real Madrid coach at the end of the season. Zidane was asked again about his future after Madrid's 1-0 victory away at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, a win that keeps them two points behind leaders Atletico Madrid heading into La Liga's final weekend.
According to Onda Cero radio and Goal online earlier on Sunday, Zidane, who has a contract until 2022, informed his squad a week ago that he was going to leave after the team's final game next weekend. But Zidane said in Sunday's post-match press conference that was not the case. "How am I going to tell my players that I am going now? It's a lie," he said. "I focus on this season. There is a game left and we are going to give everything. I only care what happens in this finale. The rest, we will see at the end of the season."
Former Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri, ex-Madrid striker Raul Gonzalez and Joachim Loew, who will step down as Germany coach at the end of this summer's European Championships, have all been mentioned as possible successors. Zidane hinted on Saturday he could leave, saying he believes "there comes a time when it's the moment to change". "I don't leave because it's easy. It's not like I turn away and don't look back," Zidane said. "No, there are moments when you have to be there and there are moments when that's it, it's finished, it's time to change. But for the good of everyone, not just for me."
'Extraordinary' Suarez
Diego Simeone hailed Luis Suarez as "extraordinary" on Sunday after the Uruguayan scored the goal that could win Atletico Madrid La Liga, his late winner snatching a dramatic 2-1 win over Osasuna. "He's extraordinary," said Diego Simeone. "He came here wanting to prove people wrong, wanting to show that he was a forward still at the top of his game. Who better than him to decide a match that seemed to be getting away from us?"
Atletico's players and substitutes piled onto Suarez in the corner and at full-time, some of their players dropped to their knees, not with ecstasy, but relief, the title now just one win away. "These are moments of happiness," said Suarez. "It was one of the best first halves of the season. We missed a lot of chances, me in particular, but to win the league you have to suffer and today we stepped up."
To be crowned champions with a game to spare, Atletico needed Real Madrid to slip up at San Mames but Nacho Fernandez put Real ahead in the second half and Atletico's priority quickly became preservation. Victory maintains their two-point advantage and another win away at Real Valladolid next weekend will guarantee a second league title in 25 years.
Barcelona are out of the running after they lost 2-1 at home to Celta Vigo. Santi Mina scored twice, including an 89th minute winner for Celta after Lionel Messi headed in the opener. Suarez, who was forced to leave Barca last summer, has scored 20 goals this season, with his latest strike putting his new team on the brink of the title. After more than a year away, fans finally returned to La Liga but only for the two games in the Valencia region, where the coronavirus infection rate has dropped below the target rate set by the government. At Villarreal the maximum 5,000 fans cheered their team to a 4-0 home victory over high-flying Sevilla.
But 60 kilometers (37 miles) down the Mediterranean coast, Valencia, whose relations with their fans are strained, sold only 3,000 of the available places. The impact was similar as the home team beat struggling Eibar 4-1. In Madrid, no fans were allowed in the Wanda Metropolitano, but they gathered outside and cheered as the team bus arrived. Atletico had 16 shots in the first half but could not find a way through. - AFP