Isco may have been the hero on Wednesday evening but it was Cristiano Ronaldo’s first leg hat-trick which has helped Los Blancos through to the Champions League final with the Portuguese forward stating that his team showed they had more experience in such a situation.
The Cardiff showpiece will be Ronaldo’s third Champions League final since he joined the club in 2009 and he will be hoping he makes it a perfect three out of three with another victory.
Zinedine Zidane’s charges had to navigate choppy waters in the first 15 minutes as Atletico raced into a 2-0 lead, however the hosts made the mistake of sitting back and allowing their rivals to find their feet in the contest.
In his post-match interview in the mixed zone, the former Manchester United star made clear that he felt Real Madrid were deserved winners and that their experience of such situations shone through.
“We knew that Atleti was going to start strongly and they had the luck in scoring two goals, however we have such experience and we knew a goal would kill them, we are Real Madrid and we have shown more experience,” he explained.
Juventus will be the club’s opponent in the final and it is already shaping up to be a battle between probably the two best teams in Europe and Ronaldo is acutely aware of the challenges his team face on June 3.
“Nothing is easy and we will fight to the end to win the Champions League, we are in a good moment but I see the final as 50-50 between the two teams,” he added.
It has been well documented that the Portuguese veteran has been micromanaged this season to ensure he retains fitness right through May and we have all seen the effects of that with his outstanding recent form.
He may not have contributed too much on Wednesday but he remains content with his form.
“I feel good and I have demonstrated that in recent matches, I’m very happy and now we have to prepare well for the end of the season,” said Ronaldo.
Zidane’s policy of rotation has split opinion this term but it has given opportunities to every player, albeit just not in a run of matches.
With that said, the 32-year-old feels the current squad is incredibly strong and capable of success.
“This team is very good,” he continued. “There are players who may play more than others but we have a great squad that is very complete, we show that in every single match.”
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