Zidane praises Vazquez and Asensio’s ‘dirty work’
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane praised wingers Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio for their defensive work as well as their attacking exploits after his side beat Real Betis 5-3 in La Liga yesterday morning (Singapore time).
Both were left out of the starting XI for the Champions League last-16, first-leg tie against Paris Saint-Germain last week but had a big impact from the bench, with Asensio providing the spark for Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo's goals in the 3-1 win.
Asensio got Real off to an ideal start against Betis with a header on 11 minutes. Betis then took the lead before half-time thanks to Aissa Mandi's strike and a Nacho Fernandez own-goal.
Real captain Sergio Ramos levelled the match again in the 50th minute before Asensio again put Real in front.
Real never lost the lead after that, scoring twice through Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema with Betis managing just a Sergio Leon goal in reply.
"They always deserve to play more because when it's their turn to do the dirty work, they do it with character," Zidane said of his Spanish wingers.
"But it's not just the dirty work, it's everything they do, from playing up and down the wing, to opening up the pitch, to defending. They are playing very well at the moment." - REUTERS
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