Benzema: “We were brave and pushed on for the win" | OneFootball

Benzema was the man of the match between Real Madrid and Elche. The Frenchman scored a brace to give Zidane's side the three points and after the game he has this to say: "It's a team effort. It wasn't an easy game for us a well organised Elche. The teams that come here sit back and make it difficult for us, but we were brave and pushed on and in the end picked up three important points. As the coach said before the game, we had to win to set us up well for the Champions League match".

"Every time we go out on the pitch we know that we have to give more in the league to get to the top spot. But as I told you before, the teams are strong and they sit deep. The first half was strange because we didn't have much movement, we defended deep, but in the second half we got the goals to give us the win. We come up against different teams and different players every week. We have to adapt. It doesn't matter if we play with three or four at the back".

Brace "I'm very proud of my performance because I helped my teammates. You have to be patient until you get a good chance and put it away. The first is a good goal that helps the team and it was very important. And the second is also a nice goal that got us the win, so I'm happier than ever". “The substitutions are important, as the players who come on can contribute things and they contributed a lot today”.

Rodrygo: “We played patiently, but at pace” “We had to work hard but we got the three points and that’s what counts. It was a tough match. We fought until the end, which is what Real Madrid must always do. They defended very deep from the start of the game and when they scored it made things difficult for us, but we kept going until the end. We played patiently, but at pace, as the gaffer always tells us to do. Luckily it all worked out and we got the goals and the win”.

“We changed the formation a bit because we had three centre-backs. We’re used to playing that way and that allowed us to turn the game around and get the win. It gives us a lot of confidence for the games we have left. Now we have to focus on the Champions League on Tuesday. The win gives us a boost to keep fighting until the end, because there’s still a long way to go in LaLiga”.