Real Madrid’s victory over Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday was necessary for Los Blancos to recover from their 4-0 thrashing by Barcelona at the weekend, according to star man Cristiano Ronaldo.
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Leader Barcelona, meanwhile, will look to continue its superb form against Real Sociedad on Saturday, when second-place Atletico Madrid hosts Espanyol trailing the pacesetters by four points.
Ronaldo scored his second – and Real’s fourth – in the 70th minute when he was quickest to react after Yaroslav Rakitskiy had blocked his initial close-range shot. Fred made a nice defensive stop on Isco in the 68th minute, did excellent to stop Real Madrid’s counter by stopping Isco in his track.
Sunday’s last match should provide tension as Sevilla entertain Valencia.
Benitez overhauled his lineup against Shakhtar from the starting 11 that imploded against Barcelona.
Sergio Ramos is out for a few weeks with a shoulder injury and Marcelo could return for the trip to Eibar. A fine third goal from Dani Carvajal appeared to end any hopes of a comeback for Shakhtar.
Shakhtar, weakened by the absence of regular captain Dario Srna and full-back Alexander Kucher, who were both suspended, needed to win to have any chance of creeping into the last 16.
But while fans are calling for changes, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez said that they are still convinced Benitez will be able to turn things around this season. However, they will probably field their best and go looking for a win because anything but a win could pour further fury from the fans. Bale broke free on the left on one of his classic runs, just before outpacing the defender and squaring the ball for Ronaldo.
But the Basque club is enjoying an excellent second season in the topflight and is in sixth place with only two losses through 12 rounds.
“The players knew what they had to do, they did well, they showed intensity and motivation”. Even before Cristiano Ronaldo would break the deadlock just shy of 30 minutes, there was passing in midfield, good movement and some nice interplay. “The most important is to be top of our group, and the great game we played for 78 mins”.
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However, Messi believes that the team’s remarkable success during his absence offered a clear demonstration that they do not over-rely on him, an accusation which has been labelled “Messi-dependencia” in Spain.
