Real Madrid win Champions League thriller

Juventus full-back Patrice Evra has revealed that Real Madrid icon Cristiano Ronaldo told him he would never rule out a return to Manchester United due to his love for the club, according to Manchester Evening News.

With Benzema still not fully fit after recovering from an injury and possibly distracted by his involvement in a blackmail investigation in France, Benitez may opt to again leave Ronaldo and Bale alone in attack.

Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic crowned a triumphant homecoming with a second-half goal as Paris St Germain crushed Malmo 5-0 on Wednesday to book a place in the last 16 of the Champions League.

“We have to increase our competitiveness”, Benitez said.

“Of course, I would like to thank the executives for their support”. “We need to have all our players ready to go out on the pitch. It was a great effort by all the players”.

Benitez called the meeting after club president Florentino Perez said in a press conference on Monday that the defeat by Barcelona – which left Real six points off the pace in La Liga – had not placed the Spaniard’s job in any danger.

A 14-match unbeaten run in all competitions preceded the first competitive defeats of Benitez’s tenure and the former Liverpool and Napoli boss was keen to look at the bigger picture. “It’s what we aimed for before the game”.

“We’ve made mistakes and against a team like Barca you pay for those dearly”.

Afterwards local media reports claimed senior Madrid players including the Portuguese attacker were fed up with Benitez’s managerial style, and there was further speculation that reserve coach Zinedine Zidane was standing by to take over the first team.

“It’s good for us because they do not have an appropriate substitute”.

Madrid will be taking confidence from the comfortable win they recorded in the reverse fixture at the Bernabéu back on the Champions League’s first matchday.

Benitez admitted he was “hurt” by the result on Saturday.

“I’m hurting because I am a Madridista and I don’t like to lose any game”. In 2010, the game was at Camp Nou, not at Santiago Bernabeu.

Under severe pressure only three months into his debut season, Benitez was full of praise for the likes of Isco, Casemiro, Mateo Kovacic and Nacho who were deployed from the start. Madrid feels like Ronaldo will only retain huge value if the team sells him in January or in the summer. We have to focus on the daily work, the future.