Pepe reckons Real Madrid were the stronger side in the 2-2 Copa del Rey draw against Barcelona at Camp Nou on Wednesday evening.
The Santiago Bernabeu club drew level through Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema after going behind to goals from Pedro and Dani Alves, but they could not beat Jose Pinto a third time.
The result means that Jose Mourinho’s side are unable to defend their Copa del Rey title after their 2-1 defeat in the first leg, but Pepe believes that the Madrid faithful should be happy with the display.
“We showed the true ‘Madridista’ spirit, the spirit of a great group,” he said after the game. “Today, we were very superior to Barca. We are proud of what we did and of what we have. The fans are also proud.”
Pepe escaped punishment for his stamp on Lionel Messi in the first leg, but he did not wish the comment on his controversial action in last week’s match.
“I will only talk about football,” the Portuguese continued. “But I hope that this week everything that happened during this match will be debated.”
Barcelona will now face either Levante or Valencia in the semi-final of the competition.
（Goal.com）
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