Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane was proud of his players' efforts after they defeated Manchester United 2-1 in Skopje to win the Uefa Super Cup, saying they "never get tired of winning" as they continued their fine run of success under his tutelage.
The Primera Liga and Uefa Champions League winners last season were too strong for Jose Mourinho's side as goals from Casemiro and Isco won the game, with Romelu Lukaku scoring United's consolation.
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Indeed United could have won by more as Casemiro hit the bar with Tuesday's game at the Philip II Arena still goalless, and Gareth Bale struck the frame of the goal in the second half.
"You cannot play and play beautiful football at the same level for 90 minutes," Zidane said of the result.
"We played at a high quality, we suffered, yes, but we controlled the game.
"If Gareth Bale scores the third it's over.
"But we were against an opponent who wanted to cause us problems and it's normal if we suffered a bit."
Real captain Sergio Ramos echoed his manager's view that it had been a good workout for his side ahead of the domestic campaign beginning next week.
"We were superior for almost all of the game and it's important that we've started the season by winning a trophy against a team that did everything they could to win," Ramos said.
"Towards the end they had more chances and tried direct play with physical players but we stayed calm in the tense moments and kept the ball. Aside from the final minutes, we had a great game."
