Madrid also now have James Rodriguez and Danilo on the injury list with muscle problems, but Rafa said he was not concerned about any issue with his team’s physical preparation. “My teammates have always had confidence in me”.
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Cristiano Ronaldo then increased their lead from the penalty spot, presumably after handball after the ball hit the back of a visiting defender, and he made it 3-0 after another penalty for handball, which also looked to be accidental.
Real Madrid defence has held strong for the start of the season.
Rafael Benítez said he knows Cristiano Ronaldo’s “level and value” after yet another hat-trick saw off Shakhtar Donetsk, leaving Mircea Lucescu ruing one costly mistake. “Gareth is the only one that I am a little bit more negative with but I have to wait to see what the doctor says”. A lot of eyebrows were raised when Benitez was installed as the manager for Real Madrid, however, the initial results and especially last two performances suggest that the Los Blancos fans have nothing to worry about.
“But this is not my goal”.
“It’s good of course, I won’t lie, I feel so proud and happy but this is not my goal – my goal is to be good all season and help the team win, which is the most important, and to win collective trophies”.
“I am very interested in the contribution he makes in terms of effort and balance and if he is more effective in front of goal that is better for everyone”.
Ronaldo’s hat-trick against Shakhtar Donetsk has prompted Benitez to declare that the Portuguese is unquestionably at the pinnacle of the football world.
Real Madrid will have an MRI scan on Thursday to discover the extent of damage to his left calf.
Karim Benzema, unseen, scores Real Madrid’s opening goal on Tuesday night against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.
“It wasn’t easy even though we had opportunities”.
United’s next opponents Wolfsburg – the German side visit Old Trafford on 30 September – will head to Manchester with three points already in the bag after their 1-0 home victory over CSKA Moscow.
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“Many good players get injured, but there is a deep enough squad to fill these places”.
