We mustn’t lose hope- Real coach Pellegrini

(GSM) – Real Madrid thrashed Athletic Bilbao 5-1 last night to maintain the pressure on Liga leaders Barcelona.

Cristiano Ronaldo made it five goals in three games with a 22nd minute penalty for his 26th goal of the season only for Francisco Yeste to equalise before half-time.

A goal blitz saw Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema and Marcelo score in the final 13 minutes as Real prevented Barcelona from winning the league for one more weekend.

“The team felt anxious and discouraged for a while. We have one more match and although we had a lot of hope riding in the game in Seville, Valladolid will have a lot at stake when they visit Barcelona next week. We will maintain our pressure until the end,” Real coach Manuel Pellegrini told the club’s official website.

“We knew that Barcelona’s match against Sevilla would be more complicated than next week’s against Valladolid, but you never know what can happen. We need to maintain this spirit and fight until the end. Hope is the last thing we can lose.

“We closed out a great season at the Bernabeu. We won 18 of 19 matches and scored 60 goals… that’s more than three per match.

“We have now scored more than 100 goals overall. The numbers are there. We are the top scoring team.”