Karanka hails Real hero Ronaldo

[KingFemzee]

Real Madrid assistant coach Aitor Karanka praised Cristiano Ronaldo after the forward scored one goal and created another as they cut the gap on second-placed rivals Atletico Madrid.

Ronaldo's efforts proved crucial as Real won 2-0 and kept alive a remarkable 14-year unbeaten run against their cross-town rivals.

The club now sit five points behind Atletico, but it was not surprising to Karanka that Ronaldo was able to end a 310-minute goal drought in such an important match.

"Cristiano has again scored a goal, got one assist and hit two shots against the crossbar. He is being his usual self," said Karanka.

Jose Mourinho's assistant also hailed the character of the squad after what was a somewhat scrappy Madrid derby at the Santiago Bernabeu.

"We believed it would be a tough game in the sense that Atletico came here with a lot of confidence. Everybody assumed that this
would be the year [that Atletico would win the derby], but we showed personality.

"I think the stronger always win. Real Madrid already have strong character, and even more against a city rival that comes here in good form, so this has been a positive match. It was a game to please the fans after the defeat to Betis," stated Karanka.