Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace but had to be taken off in Real Madrid’s resounding 7-1 win over Deportivo de le Crouna after suffering an injury that left him bleeding profusely but manager Zinedine Zidane allayed fears over a lengthy injury lay-off as he revealed the Portuguese superstar was fine.
“He (Cristiano Ronaldo) has got a wound and I think he’s been given two or three stitches. He’s alright,” Zidane told his post-match press conference on Sunday night.
Deportivo defender Fabian Schar left a scar on the 32-year-old’s face when he went leading with his boot and as Ronaldo grimaced in pain on the ground, the Santiago Bernabeu crowd was forced into a tense silence as they anxiously waited for the No.7 to get up.
After having used up all three substitutions, Real were forced into playing the final five minutes with 10 men as the physios signalled to the bench that Ronaldo could not play on.
A brace from the Portuguese, Gareth Bale and defender Nacho had given Los Blancos their biggest win of the La Liga season as they overcame a shock deficit in style to climb above Villarreal into 4th place.
Real are said to be undergoing a crisis of sorts, after dominating Europe with three UEFA Champions League titles in four years, but Sunday’s result will go a long way towards relieving pressure on embattled manager Zinedine Zidane.
Due to their participation in the FIFA Club World Cup, which they won to make it an trophy-laden 2017, Real have played one game fewer than all their rivals.
However, even if one factors the game in hand, leaders and arch-rivals Barcelona are pulling away as they have accumulated 54 points from 20 games while Real have a paltry 35 points from 18 games in comparison.
Key players likes Toni Kroos have admitted hopes of a La Liga title are all but over, with the Spanish outfit focusing on the King’s Cup (Copa del Rey) and UEFA Champions League instead as the capital side battle to end the 2017-18 season with at least one major trophy.
Source:thestatesman
