Jan 28, 2018
A beleaguered Zinedine Zidane got the win he needed to take some pressure off as Real Madrid’s manager. Cristiano Ronaldo scored two first-half penalties to lead them past Valencia 4-1 on Saturday, breaking Madrid’s four-game winless streak away from home in the Spanish league.
The lopsided win at the ground of the sensation of La Liga this season came after the criticism of Zidane intensified this week following Madrid’s shock exit from the Copa del Rey quarterfinals to modest Leganes.
“I will always be under scrutiny, every day, that won’t change until the end,” Zidane said after the win at Mestalla. “What I have to do is to keep working with my players, and today I have to congratulate them for the match they played. To play well here and win 4-1 is not easy.”
Out of the cup and out of reach of runaway leader Barcelona in the league, Madrid’s chances of salvaging the campaign hinge on bettering Paris Saint-Germain when they meet in the Champions League round-of-16 in three weeks.
