esteban granero called on his real madrid cf team-mates to "defend the club's colours" as, with top spot in group g already assured, josé mourinho's side play host to aj auxerre.
esteban granero insists any suggestion real madrid cf may be lacking motivation going into their final uefa champions league group encounter against aj auxerre was "incomprehensible".
the nine-time european champion clubs' cup winners welcome jean fernandez's side to the santiago bernabéu with a place in the tournament's knockout stages for a 14th consecutive season as group g winners assured. however, determined to maintain their unbeaten run in the competition this term, granero called on his team-mates to "defend the club's colours" against opponents chasing a uefa europa league spot.
"we may have already qualified but we want to win this game; we must be ready," the 23-year-old said. "we're representing real madrid in european competition which should be more than enough motivation for any player here. these are prestigious fixtures and we will have thousands of fans to answer to on the night."
injuries will force madrid into several changes, including a possible start for karim benzema up front. despite being low on confidence, the french international forward scored the opening goal in the 4-0 victory at afc ajax a fortnight ago and, according to granero, he will be keen to impress once more.
"i wouldn't say [benzema] is losing patience but it does seem that every game is like a final exam for him these days," the former getafe cf player said. "because of his qualities as a player and as a person we will not stop supporting him; we all know he wants a chance to repeat his feats in amsterdam."
confidence was also an issue when madrid's 26-game unbeaten run ended with an emphatic 5-0 defeat away to fc barcelona last monday but according to granero, josé mourinho's men are regaining form. "after that defeat we started back at zero in terms of morale but we responded well with a win against valencia last weekend and we want to continue on that road [against auxerre]."
the french side have ambitions of their own, however: if they better ajax's result at ac milan they will take third place. "we will try to enjoy the occasion but we are not here as tourists," said midfielder benoît pedretti. "there's no comparison between the teams but we have strong players and if the talent is there it can make all the difference."
şampiyonlar ligi g grubu'nda real madrid, karim benzema'nın hat-trick yaptığı maçta sahasında auxerre'i 4-0 mağlup etti.
santiago bernabeu'da oynanan maçta real madrid maça hızlı başlayan taraftı ve 12. dakikada karim benzema'nın attığı gol ile öne geçti. maçın geride kalan dakikalarında başka gol olmayınca ilk yarı 1-0 real madrid'in üstünlüğü ile sonuçlandı.
ikinci yarının başında real madrid adına bu kez sahneye çıkan portekezli yıldız cristiano ronaldo oldu ve takımına 50. dakikada 2 farklı üstünlüğü getiren golü attı. ilk golün sahibi karim benzema, 72. ve 88. dakikalarda attığı gollerle hat-trick yaparak geceye damgasını vurdu.
bu sonuçla birlikte real madrid 16 puanla grubu zirvede tamamlarken auxerre 3 puanla son sırada yer alarak avrupa macerasına nokta koydu.
madrid's benzema leaves auxerre rooted to the spot
karim benzema struck his first hat-trick in nearly three years as madrid rounded off group g in style, consigning auxerre to the foot of the table.
karim benzema scored his first hat-trick in nearly three years as real madrid cf rounded off their uefa champions league group g campaign unbeaten, a 4-0 win consigning aj auxerre to the foot of the section.
already assured of top spot, stand-in madrid coach aitor karanka insisted his side would take the game as seriously as any other and so it proved. benzema headed the hosts ahead in the 12th minute and, following cristiano ronaldo's fourth uefa champions league goal of the season soon after the restart, the france striker resumed centre stage. he made the points safe before rounding off his hat-trick in some style just before the final whistle.
ultimately the result made no difference to auxerre as afc ajax's victory over ac milan sealed third spot for the dutch side. the visitors' hopes, though, looked slender from the moment benzema broke the deadlock with madrid's 300th uefa champions league goal. ronaldo did the damage, his whipped cross from the left finding a swooping benzema a metre out. it could have been worse had the portuguese international found the net instead of nodding narrowly wide soon after.
undeterred, jean fernandez's side stuck to their counterattacking plan and when the pacy roy contout won a free-kick on the right, benoît pedretti picked out jean-pascal mignot whose downward header was deflected away by jerzy dudek. it was an eventful night for the stand-in goalkeeper who, before expertly tipping dennis oliech's low drive away from danger, injured his jaw in a collision with contout. he was replaced by debutant antonio adán.
injuries and suspensions had deprived the nine-time european champion clubs' cup winners of several first-team regulars – not to mention coach josé mourinho – yet it was two familiar faces who combined to set up the side's second four minutes after the restart. marcelo fed the onrushing ronaldo who blasted past olivier sorin and, after alain traoré fired just wide, the news got worse for the visitors: ajax were ahead at san siro.
benzema's second of the night extinguished all hope, the 22-year-old lashing past sorin after being released by lassana diarra in the 72nd minute. he saved the best until last, however, intercepting the auxerre goalkeeper's pass near the byline and dispatching a chip with an ease that belied the acute angle.
1. real madrid cf...6...5...1...0...15...2...13...16 2. ac milan...6...2...2...2...7...7...0...8 3. afc ajax...6...2...1...3...6...10...-4...7 4. aj auxerre...6...1...0...5...3...12...-9...3
