Wednesday 2 May 2018 20:49, UK
Zinedine Zidane insists the Champions League is "in Real Madrid's DNA" after his side hung on to deny Bayern Munich and move into their fourth final in five years.
Real earned the chance to win their third Champions League in a row after Karim Benzema's double and desperate last-minute defending gave them a 2-2 draw on the night and a 4-3 victory over the two legs of the semi-final.
Real have already seen bitter rivals Barcelona win the Spanish league this season, but Zidane said Europe's premier competition always brings the best out of his club, who have won it 12 times.
"It's in the DNA of the club. We never stop fighting up to the very last minute, just as the Bayern players did tonight.
"This is our third final but we suffered a lot. At the end, we were strong and we lived with the pressure. We don't give up and when you see Bayern's desire, we never gave up because we wanted the win. Even if they played better, our desire was bigger.
"We played against a huge team, Juve was the same, PSG also. We are happy because we beat all three despite having to suffer."
Zidane said Benzema had more than earned his chance to start the match after the French striker was only a substitute in the first leg in Munich.
"He deserved to score, he has worked hard and he has never given anything less than his all. His game is always the same and he is always important for us. It was important for him that he scored tonight as well."
Sergio Ramos added: "This club's DNA pushes you to fight until the end. We knew how to suffer together.
"They had more possession but overall we were better. This team deserves to be in Kiev."
Real will play either Liverpool or Roma in the final in Kiev on May 26.
