Zinedine Zidane 'not happy' as Real Madrid suffer surprise Cadiz defeat a week before clasico

Anthony Lozano gave Cadiz the lead early in the game but Alvaro Cervera's men could easily have been three or four goals to the good at half time

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane during his team's defeat to Cadiz in La Liga. Reuters

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema. EPA

Cadiz's Filip Malbasic in action with Real Madrid's Eder Militao. Reuters

Cadiz's Anthony Lozano celebrates scoring. Reuters

Cadiz's Anthony Lozano celebrates. Reuters

Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, right, in action against Cadiz's Alex Fernandez. EPA

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in action. EPA

Cadiz defender Fali, right, vies with Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane. AFP

Real Madrid's Raphael Varane in action with Cadiz's Anthony Lozano. Reuters

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior in action. Reuters

Zinedine Zidane said he was "not happy at all" after watching his Real Madrid side suffer a shock home defeat to promoted Cadiz on Saturday.

Anthony Lozano gave Cadiz the lead early in the game but Alvaro Cervera's men could easily have been three or four goals to the good after continually carving the Spanish champions open.

The Honduran forward also wasted a clear opportunity to double his side's lead, and Zidane did not pull any punches with his assessment of his side.

"They played with more pace than us and more enthusiasm. We can't make any excuses, we played a bad game and we have to congratulate Cadiz. We're not happy at all," Zidane said.

"It was very difficult for us from the start and I wouldn't have been surprised if they had scored two or three goals in the first half."

Real had not lost in the league since a 2-1 defeat by Real Betis back in March, just before last season's competition was halted due to the  coronavirus pandemic. Their last home defeat came in May 2019, a 2-0 loss to Betis.

"The way we started the game was what concerned me the most. We then struggled to create chances but that's a consequence of the bad start we had made," the Frenchman said after his side managed only two shots on target in 90 minutes to Cadiz's five.

Another concern for Real is an injury to captain Sergio Ramos, who watched the second half of the defeat at Alfredo di Stefano Stadium in the stands with ice strapped around his left knee.

"Hopefully it's minor," said Zidane. "Tomorrow we'll see what he has done."

The result hardly made for perfect preparation for what is a crucial week for Real. The capital club begin their Champions League campaign at home to Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday before visiting arch rivals Barcelona in the first clasico of the season next Saturday.

"I don't think this game [against Cadiz] is going to have a big impact on us, we're going to try and fix things. Of course tonight is a very bad night for us but we're going to try and change things," said Zidane.

"We've only lost three points. They are three important points, but nothing else. Now we're thinking about our next game."