Ousted Madrid grateful for 'fantastic' support

Disappointment was etched into the face of each and every Real Madrid CF player following their 4-3 aggregate loss to Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals. However, the manner in which they exited the UEFA Champions League and the inspiring support they received will live long in the memory.

Sergio Ramos, Madrid defender

This doesn't feel very good. When you are on the verge of playing a final and you miss out, you go home feeling lost. Maybe this is the moment we have to be united and look to move forward. There are many ways to lose a game but I think today every Madrid fan will go home feeling proud at having seen their team give their heart and soul until the very last minute. We did things badly in the first leg and picked up a very negative result. Maybe that will teach us a lesson.

We were all confident we could do it today. We were missing that little bit of luck we needed to score before half-time, though we managed to score late on. If there is something that stands out for me, it is the support our fans gave us. We will be eternally grateful for that. We wanted to return their warmth with a place in the final but it wasn't to be.



Cristiano Ronaldo, Madrid forward

The atmosphere was fantastic. The fans need to be congratulated and appreciated for their support. It was a pity we couldn't achieve more. The first leg was key as four goals are a lot to concede in a semi-final. We showed tonight, however, that we are a team capable of playing in a final. We gave our all and when you do that, there is not much left to say. The team fought and the supporters were incredible – I'm quite emotional about how they backed us. We thank them and want to tell them that next season we will be here again fighting.



Diego López, Madrid goalkeeper

It's disappointing but we gave it everything in every moment. We were missing that little bit of luck. The fans are the standout aspect for me tonight, as ever since we arrived at the ground in the team bus they created a spectacular atmosphere. They trusted in us and brought us a lot in the game.

We felt that taking a lead into half-time was going to be the key but, even so, we had chances in the second half to score the three goals we needed. We believed in ourselves but at the end of the day it didn't happen. We need to wish Dortmund good luck and move on.