Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos inspired the club to an impressive 3-1 win against Napoli in the second half as the visitors progressed to the quarterfinals of the Champions League on 6-2 aggregate.
Los Blancos were on the back foot in the first half as they hardly made any chances in the final third but have managed to put in a much better performance in the second half as Ramos converted two goals from corner kicks.
The Spanish defender has the knack of scoring the important goals as stats reveal that out of 21 goals he scored from 2014 Champions League final, 18 were scored when his team were either trailing or level with the opposition. Speaking on the matter, Ramos insisted that he is not keen to get carried away.
“I am just happy that we achieved our objective, which was to go through,” Ramos said. “It was my 100th game in the competition, and I was able to help the team with goals when we were going through a delicate moment.
“A week ago the critics were killing me. Today I am not a hero for scoring two goals. I try not to get too carried away, and do my job as well as I can.”
Meanwhile, Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has revealed that the club has suffered a lot in the first half as the hosts were 1-0 up and looked to win the tie after some mesmerising football.
“We won 3-1 and that’s what counts,” Zidane told reporters after the game.
“Real Madrid suffered in the first half, especially early on because we didn’t do what we set out to do and this is a difficult stadium to play in.
“They put a lot of pressure on us and stole a lot of balls from us, but the second half was different because we played more in their half of the pitch,” he said.
However, Real Madrid managed to turn the tie completely in the second half and Zidane revealed that they tried to change few things to reduce the difficulties they faced in the first half.
“The discussion was that we had to change something because they were giving us difficulties,” the 44-year-old stated.
“We talked about playing higher up the pitch and joining the lines better,” he continued.
“But we knew we had chances to score in the first half, and we’re thankful that Sergio [Ramos] stuck his head in to push us to victory.
“Corners and set-pieces are also a part of football, as is the fact that a game lasts for 90 minutes,” he maintained.