Saturday 14 October 2017 23:44, UK
Marcelo hailed Cristiano Ronaldo's knack of delivering when it matters as the Portuguese's first La Liga goal of the season earned Real Madrid a record 13th successive away win at Getafe.
Having somehow missed from around three yards out moments earlier, Ronaldo struck five minutes from time to secure a 2-1 victory in Zinedine Zidane's 100th game in charge.
It was far from a vintage performance from the reigning champions, who had gone ahead in the first period through the returning Karim Benzema only for Getafe to level through Jorge Molina, despite the fact he appeared offside when scoring just after the break.
Yet Ronaldo shook off his shocking miss and came to the rescue by reaching substitute Isco's pass over the top and slamming home a half-volley.
"We know what Cristiano brings to Madrid," full-back Marcelo said in quotes published on Real Madrid's official website.
"He deserves a lot of credit for all he's done at Madrid and we know that when he has to show up, he does so. That happens in football. I couldn't tell you why.
"We're trying to improve with every game, trying to cut the gap to first place and continue fighting for all the points available."
No team in La Liga history had ever won 13 away games on the bounce but Real, who had dropped points in three of their opening seven fixtures, set a new benchmark across the city on Saturday night.
They had previously held the record with Barcelona after they achieved the feat under Pep Guardiola between 2010 and 2011.
"It's a difficult place to come, everyone has that extra motivation when they're playing against Madrid," Marcelo added.
"We conceded a goal, I don't know if it was offside or not but that doesn't bother me.
"We did a great job, we were able to manage the game well after scoring and we ended up winning it."
Early pace-setters Barcelona had won all seven games prior to the international break so Real midfielder Lucas Vazquez stressed how vital it was that his side did not slip up on Saturday.
"It was a question of when the goal would come, the grass was long and the pitch was dry and it didn't help us," he claimed.
"It was a difficult match, they made life hard for us. The team did a great job, it shouldn't have been such a hard-fought victory. The three points were crucial for us, we couldn't afford to drop any."
Getafe have lost four games this season - against Real, Deportivo, Barcelona and Sevilla - and on each occasion the winner has come in the 83rd minute or later.
"There are many games like this and many fateful minutes; we have to correct it," Getafe boss Jose Bordalas said on his club's official website.
