Saturday 13 February 2016 19:29, UK
Zinedine Zidane hailed two-goal hero Cristiano Ronaldo as "bloody brilliant" after the forward fired Real Madrid to a 4-2 win over Athletic Bilbao.
The Real boss started Ronaldo on the left wing and he opened the scoring after just three minutes with a brilliant individual move and finish and then added the last goal for the hosts after James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos had netted towards the end of the first half.
Athletic midfielder Javier Eraso cancelled out Ronaldo's opener, while Gorka Elustondo netted a second for the visitors as injury time approached, but it was Madrid who claimed the points.
"What can I tell you about Cristiano? The press are here to say whether he plays well or badly, if he is finished, but today he proved that he is bloody brilliant, sorry for swearing," Real boss Zidane told a press conference.
"For me Cristiano can be very important on the wing. When he is running with pace he is very good at taking players on.
"Athletic are a strong opponent and they press together, so on the other flank they have fewer players back. So our aim was for Cristiano to play more on the wing, to get the ball back and play quickly down the other side.
"He did that really well, and that's how he scored the first goal. He was very difficult to defend against."
Madrid did allow Athletic back into the game due to an error by Raphael Varane, who was later sent off, but Zidane insisted he was not concerned by Madrid's defensive lapses.
"They are always going to happen, what's important is that we won the game," he added.
"We were up against a team that is very difficult to play against, we knew that before the game. The only thing we can do is try and make as few errors as possible. For the first goal Rafa tried to play the ball to Keylor [Navas], and for the second I'll say the same: it's football, these things can happen, but we're relaxed about it."
He also said he thought Varane was unlucky to be shown a second yellow card for elbowing Aritz Aduriz as he tried to win an aerial ball.
"I don't think it was fair, I haven't seen the replay but I have been told it was a normal jump and that it wasn't a second yellow card," he said.
Rodriguez, meanwhile, said that Zidane has improved him and his team-mates since succeeding Rafael Benitez in January.
The victory over Athletic was Zidane's fourth successive home triumph, and after six matches he has a record of five wins and one draw.
The Colombian told Canal Plus: "I feel much better physically and that helps too. I don't think it's just me, the change in coach has been great for everyone.
"Zidane speaks with everyone and I think that helps when it comes to playing. He gives you much more encouragement when you play well and you know that you matter."
