Madrid's third Champions League triumph in a row saw the team travel to Fifa's prestigious club competition and Solari's men were excellent defeating Japanese team Kashima Antlers, who won the AFC Champions League this year, 3-1 with Gareth Bale scoring a hattrick.
Los Blancos' winger Lucas Vazquez has discussed the clash with the media afterwards:
"The first game of any tournament is complicated because nobody will make it easy for you," he explained to the reporters. "The games need your maximum work and focus until the end of the 90 minutes.
"What people say about this competition doesn't matter to us because we have come here to win it and will give this competition the importance and focus it deserves."
On if it's 'easier' for Real Madrid to play their best football when people write them off:"I wouldn't say that we are comfortable no, but we are used to it."
On River Plate not making it to the final, succumbing to the loss on penalties against Al Ain:
"We thought that the final against River would happen but football is strange and you never know what will happen," Vazquez added.
"It just shows that you if you don't give the game or an opponent the respect they deserve, then you'll get a surprise."
On his personal situation:
"The fact that the coach also has confidence in me is nice. He's giving me opportunities and I try to repay his confidence each week with hard work."
Real Madrid now progress to the final to face Al Ain on Saturday, December 22.
