Madrid strikers were desperate for goals, says Alonso

Posted Thursday, April 04, 2013 by Goal.com

The 31-year-old midfielder tipped his hat to his teammates for defeating Galatasaray 3-0 in the Champions League, and goalscorer Karim Benzema also had words of praise

Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso has heaped praise on his team after their 3-0 victory over Galatasaray in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie at the Bernabeu on Wednesday.

Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain have all but secured a place for los Blancos in the last four of the tournament for the third season running, and Alonso was left thoroughly satisfied with the triumph.

"This is a result we wanted, scoring goals and not conceding. It will be a great win if we do go through,” said the 31-year-old to reporters.

“The strikers are always longing for a goal, it is great news that they all got off the mark today.”

However, Alonso stopped short of confirming his team’s progression into the last four, and warned that they still had to be professional during the second leg at the Ali Sami Yen in six days.

“It is a great result, but a lot can happen in the remaining 90 minutes, and the other team will be competitive and come out with intensity.”

Goalscorer Benzema also echoed Alonso’s sentiments, highlighting his team’s hard work throughout the game as key to their victory.

“We played a great game. It was not easy, but the only thing that mattered is we worked hard, and we will have to continue to work hard to keep advancing,” commented the France international.

“We all work well together and I’m always very happy when the team wins,” concluded Benzema.

Madrid will host Levante in the Primera Division on Saturday, before making the trip to Turkey to contest the second leg.