Zidane: We knew Ronaldo, Benzema goals would come
Zinedine Zidane insists it was always a matter of time until Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema rediscovered their goalscoring form, after the duo scored two each in Real Madrid’s 6-0 win over APOEL.
Ronaldo, who has just one LaLiga all season and had gone four games in a row without finding the net, scored the final two for his side as they cruised to a win in Cyprus and booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League.
The 32-year-old’s goals took him to 98 for Madrid in the competition – one more than Lionel Messi has managed for Barcelona – and saw him set a new record of 18 in the tournament in a calendar year.
Benzema has likewise come under fire for his form this term, with only two goals to his name in all competitions before the trip to Nicosia, but he netted twice in between a strike from Nacho Fernandez after Luka Modric had opened the scoring.
Zidane was delighted with the performance and has encouraged his strikers to continue their form when they host Malaga in LaLiga on Saturday.
98 – Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored more goals for the same club than any other player in #UCL history (Lionel Messi, 97). Immaculate. pic.twitter.com/eB66umub3B
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) November 21, 2017
“We played a good game, a very serious game,” he told beIN SPORTS. “I’m very happy. We kept a clean sheet and we scored six goals.
“I’m happy for them [Ronaldo and Benzema], they keep on working. We knew it was going to happen, that their goals would come. Now they have to keep working like this.
“We know they’re both very good. Now we have to think about the next game.”
Recent defeats to Girona and Tottenham and a 0-0 derby draw with Atletico Madrid last weekend have put some pressure on Zidane, but the former France star says the team are not worried about results.
“We’re calm. There are tough moments in a season but this is a good one,” he said.
Madrid go into the knockout phase in second place, with Tottenham’s 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund guaranteeing top spot in Group H for the Premier League club.
