Real Madrid's Julen Lopetegui: Awards ceremony not to blame for Sevilla defeat

Real Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui refused to use players' travel to FIFA's The Best ceremony in London on Monday as an excuse for their 3-0 loss at Sevilla on Wednesday.

Luka Modric, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Thibaut Courtois and Marcelo all picked up awards in London, but Lopetegui said that was not the reason for their defeat -- the third time in a row they had lost their first game after the awards ceremony.

"It's clear that the circumstances occurred, but it would be opportunistic to blame this," he said. "We lost the game because we weren't good, the manager neither."

Courtois, who won The Best goalkeeper award in London on Monday, also ruled out travel having been a factor in Madrid's below-par night.

"I rested well, I trained very well," he said. "We prepared for the game well and the award ceremony isn't an excuse, because just five of us went."

Lopetegui accepted that his side were beaten by the better team on Wednesday, with all Sevilla's goals coming before half-time.

"Sevilla were far superior and they deserved to win," he said. "We weren't as we would have liked and we paid in the first half by letting in quick goals.

"Later, in the second half, we matched them and after that we hoped that, if we scored, we could get back into the game.

"We did score, but the goal didn't count on the scoreboard a Luka Modric strike that was ruled out for offside. Then we missed chances and we couldn't mount a comeback."