Ronaldo was not getting anxious: Zidane
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo was backed by Zinedine Zidane despite failing to score against Espanyol.
Zinedine Zidane insists Cristiano Ronaldo was not getting anxious during Real Madrid's victory over Espanyol, despite failing to score.
The Portugal international was unable to find the net for a second consecutive match, with Alvaro Morata and the returning Gareth Bale doing the damage as Madrid won 2-0 at Santiago Bernabeu.
Head coach Zidane felt Ronaldo was not panicking about his failure to strike and claimed his forward should have been awarded a stoppage-time penalty after being challenged by defender Aaron Martin.
Ronaldo looked incredulous when the officials denied him a spot-kick because of what looked an incorrect offside call as he tried to latch on to Isco's cross.
The 31-year-old failed to hit the target with any of his three attempts on goal during the match.
"We all know Cristiano," Zidane said at his post-match media conference.
"He always scores and when he doesn't he can get anxious, but he was not like that here.
"I am not worried about him. I think he helped us a lot and did a lot of running, like against Napoli. I know he will make a difference for us at the key moments.
"There was no offside on Cristiano and it was a penalty without a doubt. I'm sure it would have been 3-0 then and we would have deserved that."
Morata scored on his first league start of 2017 before Bale came off the bench after three months on the sidelines with injury to seal the victory late on.
Madrid is now four points clear of Barcelona at the top of the table. Third-placed Sevilla can reduce that lead at the top to three if it defeats Eibar later on Sunday (AEDT).
"We did very well and we were always searching for another goal," Zidane added. "At 1-0 you cannot be calm, but 2-0 was better.
"We made many changes [seven] but those who came in played very well and were extremely serious, so I am happy for them. It was a key match for us.
"We have not won anything yet and the important thing is to continue. We have two difficult matches ahead and Wednesday's game with Valencia is very important."
