Cristiano Ronaldo is confident Real Madrid can turn around their Champions League tie with Lyon.
Madrid slumped to a 1-0 defeat in the first leg in France after Lyon midfielder Jean Makoun hit a brilliant 25-yard drive past Iker Casillas just after half-time.
Madrid rarely threatened, but despite his side’s disappointing showing, Ronaldo insists his side will overturn the deficit in Madrid in three weeks time.
“In football anything is possible. We’ve lost here but we have a game at home in which we can repeat what they did here,” said the Portugal international.
“I’m calm. In this competition you have to suffer. I’m sure that we will give a good answer in the return game and that we will win.
“The Bernabeu will help us. We will have to give to give it everything from the first minute until the last. The tie is not lost.”
Kaka, like team-mate Ronaldo is also optimistic about his side’s chances of making it through to the quarter-finals.
Lyon coach Claude Puel has acknowledged that his team will have to withstand plenty of pressure from Real Madrid in the second leg if they are to go through to the quarter-finals.
“We know that we are going to suffer, but we are used to playing important games. Real Madrid are ready and focused to achieve it. It’s our objective. We can turn it around in the return leg,” he said on his club’s website.
“We have played a great game with great quality, great structure, great physical intensity. We knew it was necessary to raise our level and we did. It’s a shame not to have scored the second goal when we dominated in the second half,” he said at a press conference.
“When you’re in the Champions League it’s for these type of games. The prospect of eliminating teams like this is exciting. We’ll have a lot of pressure on the pitch and in the stands [at the Bernabeu] and expect to find a good referee to withstand the pressure.
“The result that is not bad, but maybe it’s enough. The return will be harder now, we must further raise our level. This game was a success, but we’d have preferred to have a second goal.”
