Ronaldo pays tributes to team-mates

Cristiano Ronaldo has lavished praise on his Real Madrid team-mates after their pivotal 2-1 win against Barcelona in Saturday’s Clasico.

Sami Khedira’s opener on 16 minutes at Camp Nou put Madrid in front, and in the process made them the most prolific goal-scoring team over a single season in La Liga’s history, while the Portugal international scored the winner 18 minutes from time after Alexis Sanchez’s equaliser to cap off a memorable evening for Jose Mourinho’s men.

“It was a great show we put on, and I must congratulate my team-mates because they have been fantastic and we deserve this success,” Ronaldo said after the game.

“We are pleased to win (at Camp Nou) and beat the goals record in La Liga.”

The 27-year-old then turned his attentions to Wednesday’s crucial Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich, and although he is confident that his side have what it takes to overturn a 2-1 deficit, he called on their supporters to make their voice heard at the Santiago Bernabeu.

“Bayern have a great team but we will play in front of our fans, and I’m sure we will get a great result,” Ronaldo said.

“I hope that together we can all move forward in this tie on Wednesday and I hope the fans get behind us.”

Goalkeeper Iker Casillas was also proud of his team’s efforts, labelling the win a ‘gigantic step’ towards the La Liga title.

Mourinho’s side are now seven points clear of Barcelona at the summit with only four matches left in the league calendar.

The Real captain is the latest player from the Blancos camp to share his optimism the win has given him for the rest of the season.

“We’ve taken a gigantic step in La Liga by defeating Barcelona,” said Casillas after the match.

“There are still points in play and we must show respect for our opponents, but winning here is important step in the championship.”

Casillas singled out match-winner Ronaldo for special praise but commended the entire side for their hard work.

“We behaved like a true team. Cristiano did an excellent job, but all of us played well from start to finish. It was a very important match and we earned a difficult victory,” he said.

“We worked well throughout the game, but we suffered after they scored the equaliser. Nevertheless, we reacted and won.”