Cristiano Ronaldo has shown his loyalty and support to Real Madrid after their 3-0 triumph over Atletico Madrid.
Ronaldo, 32, said their win against Los Rojiblancos was “an advantage,” but warned that “football is a box of surprises.”
Scoring a second hat-trick within a period of two weeks shows CR7 is firing on all cylinders and may prove himself a big threat at the 2017 Champions League finals in Wales’ National Stadium, Cardiff.
The hat-trick against Atleti was Ronaldo’s 19th, 20th and 21st goals against Madrid’s rivals; those were also his 42nd hat-trick for Los Blancos.
His UEFA Champions League tally now stands at an incredible 103 goals.
Coach Zinedine Zidane showered encomiums on the Portugal international footballer in a post match interview, saying: “There’s nothing you can say about him (Ronaldo). He speaks for himself.”
The European Champion has a voracious appetite for more glories, even though he won UEFA’S Champions League and Euros 2016 in the same year.
The four-time Ballon d’Or winner told UEFA.com in an interview: “For me all games are important, it depends how you want to interpret them.
“I always look at them in a serious manner because I want to win and goals allow us to relax and have an advantage.
“It’s an advantage and I won’t lie – a good, very good one. But we can’t take anything for granted.
“We have to go into the return leg at the Calderón fully focused. We know football is a box of surprises and for that we need to be wary. We know it will be a difficult game but we’ve got a good advantage. We need to be wary and go there and play a good game, too.”
Ronaldo’s exploits against Atletico’s Jan Oblak proves nothing is impossible in football. The Slovenian goalkeeper made great efforts to keep a clean sheet at the Santiago Bernabeu, but regrettably gave away three goals.
No other footballer has scored a hat-trick in any UEFA Champions League match since 2013 when Borussia Dortmund’s Robert Lewandoski scored four against Madrid.
Notwithstanding the historical achievement, Ronaldo says he has nothing but respect for Madrid’s arch-rival.
“The side (Atletico Madrid) were tremendous as a whole,” Ronaldo said.
“We played well from the first to the last whistle. Fortunately today, the chances went in.
“Tonight, the three goals give us an advantage but the tie is not over and you cannot joke around with football. Atlético Madrid are a great team and they’re in the semi-finals for a reason.”
