The Brazilian duo were influential in Real Madrid’s 0-3 win against APOEL Nicosia in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg.
Los Blancos earned a valuable away victory against APOEL as they beckon on back-to-back Champions League semi-final appearances. The Spanish giants eased past their un-fancied opponents with Brazilian duo of Kaka and Marcelo on song.
The South American stars came on the pitch just after the hour mark and ushered Real Madrid towards the win with their endearing displays from the left side of the pitch.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Marcelo-c23554 linked up with his compatriot for the second. Benzema completed the rout in the final minute of normal time, tapping in a Mesut Ozil pass across the goal mouth.
Jose Mourinho could not hold his delight in the post-match conference as he took note of positives from the game. The Portuguese manager singled out Marcelo and Kaka for praise and claimed the duo were decisive in the outcome of the match.
APOEL’s defensive performance also caught the attention of the Special One, who hailed them for their effective team play. He added that Madrid won because they were better than their opponents, who cannot be robbed of admiration.
"We knew it was going to be a complicated match but sending on Kaka and Marcelo was decisive."
"We were serious and we played well. This shows how much respect we have for APOEL.”
"I would like to show the same respect at the [Santiago] Bernabeu. They are the most important team of this Champions League."
"It took many minutes to score the first goal, but APOEL were performing very well,” Mourinho noted.
"We won the match because we played well. APOEL were great defensively and they had great team spirit.”
"We give 100 per cent so we can win. What APOEL are doing is fantastic," the 49-year-old tactician concluded.
Thanks to their emphatic 0-3 win, Madrid has secured a place in the semi-finals of the storied European competition, leaving the second leg at the Bernabeu as a formality.
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