Cristiano Ronaldo’s decision to pass up the chance of a hat-trick and let Karim Benzema complete the 4-0 win over Alaves drew praise from Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane.
Benzema has endured a torrid season in front of goal, scoring just three times in LaLiga prior to Saturday’s game as he leads one of the most vaunted attacks in world football.
Sections of the Santiago Bernabeu jeered the French striker when he lost his footing to skew a glorious opportunity wide with the game locked at 0-0. The 30-year-old responded with two splendid assists for his colleagues before Ronaldo graciously asked him to take a spot kick in the 2nd half.
“I’m happy for Cristiano’s nice gesture with Karim,” Zidane told a post-match news conference, having watched his much-vaunted ‘BBC’ forward line all score in the same match for the first time this season.
“This shows he is a team player. Karim deserved this, to score a goal, as he had played a very good game.”
