Iker Casillas described his penalty save during Real Madrid's 4-0 Club World Cup victory over Cruz Azul on Tuesday as a turning point.
The goalkeeper made it successive spot kick saves to deny Gerrardo Torrado from 12 yards out in Marrakech, and he hailed the feel-good factor currently sweeping through Los Blancos ahead of Saturday's final.
"Once again the team were great. We had a great game, and although it may seem that the 4-0 was easy, the truth is that at the beginning and end of the first half, Cruz Azul had chances," he said after the game.
"If they had scored the penalty, they would have got back to 2-1 and started the second half with the momentum, but the third goal gave us serenity.
"It's true that 12 or 13 years ago, I stopped this team in the Teresa Herrera trophy [on penalties]. The truth is I'm happy and contented, and much of this is because of the group dynamics. The collective is very good.
"Let's see what obstacle we have to clear first [in the final]. We need to put the icing on the cake, but it won't be easy."
