Marco Rose reflects on Leipzig’s valiant effort despite UCL exit against Madrid

RB Leipzig’s manager Marco Rose has expressed pride in his team’s performance in their two-legged round of 16 ties against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, despite bowing out of the competitio

After losing 1-0 to Carlo Ancelotti’s side in the first leg of the fixture at the Red Bull Arena back in February, Marco Rose guided his side to a 1-1 draw against the Los Blancos at the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday, although it wasn’t enough to see them through to the quarter-final.

Reacting to the disappointment, Rose emphasized Leipzig’s belief, conviction, and corresponding actions, lamenting being just one goal shy of forcing extra time.

The 47-year-old said, “Great game by my team, I’m very proud. We are of course disappointed about the elimination. Because we were very close to the quarter-finals over two games.”

“We believed in it, were convinced of it and acted accordingly. In the end, we were one goal short of making it to extra time.”

While congratulating Real Madrid on their advancement, he noted that his side made them work hard for the qualification slot

“Congratulations to Real Madrid on progressing. But I think they had to work hard for it,” Rose concluded

Currently seated 5th in the Bundesliga table with 43 points–7 points adrift third place Stuttgart,  Marco Rose and RB Leipzig will focus on a strong European place finish with 10 more league games to go.