Real team effort behind victory

Captain Ramos highlights Ronaldo's treble, substitutes, and manager's rotation policy

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo shoots to score his second goal against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semi-final first-leg clash at the Bernabeu as Stefan Savic fails to make a vital block.
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo shoots to score his second goal against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semi-final first-leg clash at the Bernabeu as Stefan Savic fails to make a vital block. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

MADRID • Cristiano Ronaldo hogged the headlines after his hat-trick against Atletico Madrid put Real Madrid on the verge of the Champions League final, although captain Sergio Ramos believes an effervescent squad was a crucial factor behind their success.

Real shook off the absence of record signing Gareth Bale and an injury to Dani Carvajal in the first half to crush Diego Simeone's usually resilient side 3-0. The hosts scored as many goals on Tuesday as Atletico had conceded in their previous seven games.

Real's least experienced defender Nacho Fernandez was called on to deputise for Carvajal in an unfamiliar right-back role, while the display of Isco was viewed by many in the Spanish media as an upgrade on Bale.

Marco Asensio, 21, also caused Atletico numerous problems down the left flank when he came on.

"The squad is the key to our success, having substitutes that always make their presence felt and play as well as those of us who play more often," Ramos said after the match.

"This is the path we need to follow, where everyone is committed and ready to do their part.

"It's difficult at Madrid to keep everyone happy because everyone is so good but those demands and the level of competition makes everyone eager to play and make the difference."

Barring a remarkable turnaround in next Wednesday's semi-final second leg at the Vicente Calderon, Real will reach a third Champions League final in four years.

They are also on course to win a first domestic league title since 2012.

"It was one of those games where everything went well, it was an impeccable performance," said Ramos.

"We kept a clean sheet and as well as Cristiano's goals, which will grab the front pages, you have to highlight the mentality of the group, our efforts, our willingness to press Atletico high in their own half."

Atletico also had injury problems going into the game and were missing both their right-backs, Juanfran and Sime Vrsaljko, as well as centre-back Jose Gimenez.

Simeone's side looked flustered, while there was a remarkable freshness to Real - which Ramos said was down to Zinedine Zidane's rotation policy.

The Frenchman, who is on track to become the first coach to retain the biggest prize in European club football since AC Milan's Arrigo Sacchi in 1990, has carefully managed his squad throughout the season.

No one has been exempt from sitting out the occasional game, even Ronaldo, who has started 26 of 34 league fixtures. Resting the prolific Portuguese paid dividends as he added to his treble against Bayern Munich in the quarter-final second leg with another hat-trick.

"Zidane has been very intelligent in managing the minutes everyone plays," added centre-back Ramos.

"The players who normally play the most are arriving at the most important moments of the season feeling fresher and more focused."

REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 04, 2017, with the headline Real team effort behind victory. Subscribe