Zinedine Zidane lauds Cristiano Ronaldo selflessness after Real Madrid crush Alaves

Ronaldo foregoes chance to score hat-trick as he allows Karim Benzema to take late penalty in Saturday's 4-0 victory

Cristiano Ronaldo's goals sandwiched a strike from Gareth Bale and set Real Madrid on course for a fifth straight win in all competitions. Denis Doyle / Getty Images

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane hailed Cristiano Ronaldo's selflessness after the forward gave up the chance of a hat-trick by allowing Karim Benzema to take a late penalty in Saturday's 4-0 thrashing of Alaves.

Zidane restored Gareth Bale to the starting XI to reunite the 'BBC' front line of the Welshman, Ronaldo and Benzema, and all three scored in a confident display at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Ronaldo, whose first goal was created by a magnificent Benzema flick, stood aside in the 89th minute to allow the Frenchman to convert only his fourth league goal of the season.

"The gesture of Cristiano is very important," Zidane said. "After the game he played, Karim just needed to score a goal.

"He [Ronaldo] had opportunities, he scored twice. After there is this gesture of Cristiano for Karim. This proves that between them, there is a good atmosphere, a good relationship, and to win and continue what we're doing, it's super important."

💬 #RMFans, here's a special message for you from @marcosllorente!
"Hola, madridistas. We are very happy about this victory here at the Bernabéu with you guys. We thank you for always supporting us and we will give our all on the pitch."#RMLiga | #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/OHFqMQ50CM

— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 24, 2018

The reigning champions' title hopes are all but over, with Madrid 11 points adrift of leaders Barcelona in third, but a run of four straight wins has ended any worries of missing out on a Champions League spot.

"Confidence returns from playing these kinds of matches," Zidane added. "After our match against PSG [3-1 win in te Uefa Champions League], we've been doing much better, maybe there was a missing part or something like that."

Zidane brought Bale back into the starting XI after dropping him to the bench for the midweek victory over Leganes, but 'BBC' were left frustrated for much of the first half.

The deadlock was finally broken shortly before the interval, as Benzema's delightful flick found Ronaldo, who duly drilled the ball into the corner. The Portuguese forward's return to top form has been key to Madrid's climb up the table, with the opening goal his 13th in the league this season.

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema scored after he was offered to take the penalty by Cristiano Ronaldo. Rodrigo Jimenez / EPA

Benzema was again the creator as Bale made it two less than a minute into the second period. The Frenchman powered forward and laid the ball off for Bale, with the 28-year-old winger finishing with aplomb to end a run of six games without scoring.

Ronaldo has been having no such problems in front of goal, though, and the five-time Ballon d'Or winner wrapped up the points just after the hour mark. He ran onto Lucas Vazquez's pass to slot home his 13th goal in his last seven games in all competitions, including the vital two in last week's Champions League first-leg win over PSG.

Benzema was rewarded for his earlier assists with the chance for only a second league goal since November, which he took with little fuss.

Barcelona can open up a 10-point lead over Atletico Madrid when they host Girona later on Saturday, with Diego Simeone's capital club not playing until their Sunday visit to Sevilla. Elsewhere, Celta Vigo gave their hopes of qualifying for the Europa League a boost as Iago Aspas scored in a 2-0 win over Eibar.

______________

Read more

Robert Lewandowski's change of agent fuelling fresh Real Madrid rumours

James Rodriguez at Bayern is a win-win situation for both player and club

Goals from James Rodriguez and Alvaro Morata are missed in Real Madrid

______________