Roma are real cheats, blasts Del Bosque

Real Madrid boss Vicente del Bosque claims his players were right not to kick the ball out of play when Roma defender Jonathan Zebina was injured in the build up to the home side's equaliser at the Bernabeu on Wednesday.

The Roma players were incensed when referee Helmut Krug awarded Real a penalty in the Champions' League clash as Cafu had handled the ball just moments after Zebina had been sent tumbling by Luis Figo on the edge of the area.

Zebina lay on the turf clutching his face, but Real refused to put the ball out of play. And they eventually punished Roma when Figo fired home the resulting spot kick to bring the home team back to 1-1 in the 75th minute.

That was how the game ended and, although the point was enough to ensure both sides reached the second round, Real coach Del Bosque was left fuming with the Roma tactics.

"I could not believe the behaviour of the Italian players," he said. "They were constantly trying to trick the referee pretending to be injured.

"That is why we didn't stop in the build up to the penalty. We thought they were cheating again. Anyway, I thought Real were the better side over the 90 minutes and deserved a draw at the very least.

"I would also like to applaud the behaviour of our players and the enthusiasm of the fans. They never stopped which is why we were able to perform to such a high level," he added.

Roma coach Fabio Capello was unimpressed by Real's actions. "We didn't appreciate what happened before they got the penalty. Salgado saw Zebina on the ground, but he carried on playing," he said.

The former Real boss was, though, relieved to see his team in the second phase after an uncertain start to their campaign. "When you come here, it's always very difficult to take anything home with you.

Capello admitted that he was impressed with the performance of Zinedine Zidane in the Real midfield. The £47 million Frenchman was making his first appearance in the Champions' League for his new club.

"Zidane is back," declared Capello. "I think he showed that today. He caused a lot of problems for us and I think he has now shown that he is worth his place in the team."

Del Bosque, meanwhile, expressed concerns over the fitness of Brazilian star Roberto Carlos, who was forced off at half-time.

"He has picked up a knock and we really miss him when he's not playing," admitted the Real boss. "Lets hope he gets back quickly," added Del Bosque, who has already ruled the full back out next weekend's league match with Barcelona.