Ronaldo proud as Real knock Barca out in Spanish Cup. PHOTO: AFP
The Portuguese hit a first half penalty and then knocked in a rebound after the break as Real took full advantage of their counter-attacks. Raphael Varane headed the third after 68 minutes while Jordi Alba got a late consolation.
Ronaldo has now scored in his last six visits to the Catalan capital and came out on top in his personal battle with Lionel Messi, who was largely anonymous in the game.
“It was a very good game, we played very well,” Ronaldo told AS. “From the first minute to the last we were very focused, with a great attitude. We played better than Barca, scoring three goals in the Nou Camp is extremely difficult.
“Lately whenever we play here we do very well. We play better here than at home. We must continue with this confidence. Most of the players like to play here and things are going well for us.”
“Beating Barca is always a source of great motivation.
“La Liga is less important because we are a lot of points behind, we need to look more at the cup and the Champions League, so we will certainly give our best.”
Ronaldo has scored on all six of his visits to the Nou Camp over the last two seasons and he said: “It’s nice, I’ll be in the history books of Spanish football.”
Casillas hails Real show
Club captain Iker Casillas, who is sidelined due to injury, hailed the performance of his team against fierce rivals Barcelona.
“We knew how to play Barcelona and tactically we came out on top,” said Casillas. “We were well positioned on the pitch and in all areas we were in control.
“It was a very strong performance and in defence we were superb. Cristiano was phenomenal. It was a 10 out of 10 performance and we deserve to be in the final.
“Cristiano is a vital player for us but while he had an excellent performance, so did the whole team. He is a reference for us and has showed his capabililty not just in this game but in other Clasicos.
“Hopefully this result can now be a turning point for the side because this is a difficult stadium to play in. Now we are looking to do well in the Champions League and La Liga.”
Published in The Express Tribune, February 28th, 2013.
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I do not mean criticize or anything but the whatever is published above just consists of playe quotes. Maybe a few opinions from the writer on current and upcoming games would make this article more interesting to read. #professionaljournalism