Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos claims Champions League referees “let me play more and that’s what I like”, in a dig at their La Liga counterparts.
Ramos helped Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 3-1 on Tuesday, and the defender praised his side for looking “back to their best” at Signal Iduna Park.
“We knew it was a good opportunity after so many years without a victory here,” he said after the game.
“They’ve always made it complicated for us. It’s a difficult pitch for us, with a set of fans that also make it difficult.
“Yet from the first minute, we showed authority to dominate the game. It’s the way forward for us.
“We must always ignore what’s being said and impose our game. That’s what’ll lead us to achieve our objectives.
“There’s a game every three days, for better or worse. We wanted to be back at our best and showed character.
“Our morale is high enough, and although it’s just the group stage, it was important to win with authority.
“Bale and Cristiano? When they’re facing our opponents’ goal, we’re lucky to notice them a lot.
“Hopefully they’ll keep their form up, but regardless of their goals, they also help the team collectively and defensively.
“They’re very quick going forward and pose problems to our opponents. We know how to manage the lines and we managed to stop them.
“My hand at 0-0? The ball came to me very quickly. It’s true that it touched my hand, but Keylor deflected it and [my handball] was totally involuntary, there was no intention on my part so there was no reason for the referee to blow his whistle.
“I don’t like to talk about referees, but it’s true that they let me play more here and that’s what I like.”
