Post-match comments

Manuel Pellegrini has now won his first three matches as head coach of Real Madrid. The latest victory was a 2-5 win against FC Zurich. Guti and Higuain scored one goal apiece in Real Madrid’s victory against FC Zurich. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace against FC Zurich and fellow Portuguese international Pepe saw his first action of the season.

Pellegrini:

Our goal is to qualify for the next round, so it was important to earn the first three points. Now it is time to think about La Liga. I didn’t see the team relax. The two goals were isolated plays that complicated things. I am not worried about set pieces, but perhaps we need to work on them more.

Cristiano has been scoring goals for a long time now and he continues performing well. I am not surprised with what he did tonight. He has a ton of class. I am happy with how serious we were; we went after the match when it was 2-3.  This should be the identity of this team.

Higuain:

It was a strange match. We had it taken care of before halftime but on two isolated playes they managed to get back into the game. It took a while, but we took care of business in the closing minutes. Winning is what counts, especially heading into upcoming matches. We have a lot of fire power which definitely helps.

Guti:

We were a little relaxed after halftime because we thought the match was over, but we held on and won deservingly. Cristiano strikes the ball so hard that it does weird things and confuses the keeper. His two free kicks really helped us and allowed him to begin his own tally. We won our third straight official match and have more confidence heading into upcoming Champions League matches.

Cristiano Ronaldo:

It was important to win the first match and to start off on the right foot. The team worked hard and I am happy with the result. We were a little relaxed in the second half and we cannot allow ourselves to be so in the future. They say we are favorites, but we must take it one step at a time. I knew the goals would fall which is why I was calm. Regarding Raul, his stats are amazing. He is a fantastic player and I am happy for him.

Pepe:

We have been playing well and the arrival of players like Xabi Alonso has really been felt. We controlled the match and took care of business thanks to the talent we have in attack. I am pleased to have contributed to the win. I have been treated very well in Madrid and I have forgotten about everything. I hope my suspension passes quickly so that I can play on a regular basis.

We had the match under control, but they managed to score off two set pieces. We noticed the absence of Xabi Alonso but our men in attack found the solution. Xabi is a very talented player. We must be organized in the midfield to have control of the match. Cristiano played very well. You can’t only focus on his goals. He has scored in two straight matches and will be a very important player for us.