Mourinho: "We will fight to the end in each game to win the league"

Jose Mourinho talked about tomorrow's match against Rayo Vallecano in today's press conference.

"We do not want to stray from our philosophy and must adapt to different circumstances. It's difficult to foresee what will happen in a game. I saw Rayo play at their stadium during the preseason many months ago. I've always seen goalkeepers experience difficulties when games are held around 16:00, but these things happen in football. The pitch is small within the allowed measurements and the grass is in bad shape, but it's isn't horrible. My team is my first concern, followed by the opponent and then everything else. We will fight to the end in every match to win the league and I believe we could see a great game tomorrow."

"I hope Rayo's supporters have fun tomorrow. They spent several years away from the First Division and therefore hadn't faced Real Madrid at home lately. I want them to enjoy thmselves and the time the game will begin suits them because they are used to it. It also seems the weather will be good. I just don't wish them to enjoy the final score. We don't expect their support, but that's part of football and I think everything that has to do with them supporting their team is phenomenal."

"Benzema will miss a couple of weeks for sure, while Di Maria may be more suceptible to injury because he is an explosive, fast and intense player who always plays and trains at a fast pace. It's easier for him to get injured than for a diesel sort of player."

"Coentrao faced CSKA and Marcelo played against Racing. Every match is important to me and I believed the one against Racing was more so than the one in Russia."

"I would like my men to be happy both here and on their national teams. I'd like them all to be called-up. Albiol never asked me to let him leave and we've never talked about anything of the sort. My Director General asked me if I wanted anyone to leave and I told him I didn't."

"Joselu will make the cut for tomorrow's match. He is Castilla's centre forward and the one who plays in that position. Morata either doesn't play or is positioned down the left wing. Whenever the reserve team uses a centre forward Joselu takes the spot."

"I would like Guardiola to decide what he believes is best for him. Regarding extending his contract with Barça or not, it's his decision and it will be the one that makes him happiest."

Mourinho is confident about the tour

Jose Mourinho analysed the draw against CSKA Moscow in the press conference following the match.
 "Their goal was frustrating, but we earned a good result I'd be happy to have in every knock-out tie in which we play the return leg at home."
 "Their strike has made them very happy and we were frustrated by it because we played for more and had chances to score more. Our opponent made things very difficult for us, but they did little to score or draw the match. They played a serious and tough game. They worked very hard."

 "Every game here has been the same for me. I won 1-0 with Chelsea and Inter Milan, but it was very hard in both encounters. It's always complicated over here. It seemed we would win 1-0 today, but they eventually drew a difficult fixture." 

 "Some goals come from set pieces and others don't. It's easy to see the mistakes you make by conceding some strikes, but it's harder in others. I don't know what was the case tonight. What I did manage to see was that Cristiano Ronaldo was clearly fouled upon before the equaliser. It's part of the game. The referee made mistakes for both sides."
 "Bringing Albiol on was a good option when they made a two-meter tall man play alongside Doumbia up front. It was a solid option to mark him in set pieces and seal the game. I very much liked his attitude on the pitch and how he interpreted what he had to do. I'm very happy with him." "I actually thought that if we were to sustain injuries we could have sustained up to three, but in the end only Benzema was injured."

Real Madrid 4 - 0 R.Santander

C.Ronaldo is the second Madridista with most hat-tricks in La Liga

Cristiano Ronaldo is gradually improving on numbers established by legendary Madridistas. By tallying his 13th with the team against Levante, the Portuguese striker is now the second all-time Real Madrid player with the most hat-tricks behind the 22 netted by Alfredo di Stefano, who needed five years to score 13.

"Goals happen thanks to the efforts of the entire team,"

said Ronaldo after the match on Sunday, trying to play down his feat, but truth is he played a decisive role in the victory with his three strikes. Mourinho himself described the player's third strike as "fantastic" and "incredible."

Ronaldo scored his first hat-trick with the Whites in the penultimate league match of the 2009/10 season against Mallorca (4-1). He tallied three or more strikes in six league games last season, therefore breaking the five hat-trick record of Langara and Romario. Ronaldo has already scored six this season against Rayo Vallecano, Osasuna, Levante, Zaragoza, Malaga and Sevilla. In total, the Golden Boot and Pichichi Trophy winner has 13 hat-tricks under his belt in 85 league games. Ronaldo is currently the fifth player with most hat-tricks in the history of La Liga behind Zarra, Di Stefano, Mundo and Cesar.

Cristiano Ronaldo's goal echoes throughout the world

Just like Jose Mourinho predicted, Cristiano Ronaldo's amazing third goal against Levante has travelled around the world. Collected here are some of the comments made by the international press.


Marca (Spain): "Tricks abounded, but none was as impressive as Ronaldo's third goal, a fabulous shot that raised the crowd to its feet. It was an unforgettable strike that will travel around the world. It will make all the news as a stellar moment."

AS (Spain): "The third goal was marvellous. Rather than a long shot, it was a comet... It showcased prodigious power."

El Pais (Spain): "Ronaldo's self-portrait was a third goal worthy of the Prado Museum: he is a genius. His shot from outside the box and close to the left sideline was worthy of one of the chosen ones, of an elightened player. The ball elevated itself and landed violently before the Uruguayan goalkeeper. It was as also worthy of Roberto Carlos, who received tribute in Chamartin last night."

El Mundo (Spain): "Cristiano's shot turned the ball into a tomahawk, a homing missile."

A Bola (Portugal): "Ronaldo's third goal was one of the best this season. It was a shot form outside the box that surprised Levante keeper Munua."

Denoticias.pt (Portugal): "Real Madrid turned the score around again thanks to the artistry of Ronaldo, who scored a hat-trick. His first was a solid penalty on the 45-minute mark. The second a header in the 50th minute. And, finally, he scored the evening's highlight on the 57-minute mark with a true bomb."

La Gazetta dello Sport (Italy): "It fell like a rock. It was a powerful shot with the right foot close to the left corner of the box. The score changed to 3-1 and the player embraced Mourinho in celebration."

Corriere dello Sport (Italy): "Real Madrid defeated Levante thanks to the first class goal by the Portuguese striker."

Ole (Argentina): "Real Madrid became their true selves in the second half and quickly took the lead through Ronaldo. The Portuguese masterfully scored the 3-1 strike."

SkySports (UK): “Portuguese ace Ronaldo completed his hat-trick and his sixth of the season on 57 minutes with a stunning dipping shot over Levante keeper Gustavo Munua”

Daily Telegraph (UK): "Ronaldo completed his hat-trick with a marvellous 30-yard shot that hit the rook of the net."

The Guardian (UK): "Ronaldo then completed the hat-trick, his 13th since joining Real for a world-record fee in 2009, with a dipping drive seven minutes later. It was the 27th goal of the campaign for the league's top scorer."

Sports Illustrated (USA): “It was a shot from outside the area seven minutes later that took a wicked dip over goalkeeper Gustavo Munua and into goal”

ESPN (USA): "Ronaldo completed his treble with a wonderful long-range effort on 57 minutes."

ESPN (Brazil): "The third was a tremendous strike. It was the perfect shot to round up Real's 4,000th goal at the Bernabeu. It was great, an unstoppable whop from outside the box. Cristiano celebrated with an unusual hug with Jose Mourinho."