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Clasico win over Barcelona can be turning point for Madrid: Coach Zidane
Barcelona : Real Madrid’s stunning Clasico derby match victory over FC Barcelona could be a “turning point” for their poor La Liga season, according to club manager Zinedine Zidane.
Star striker Cristiano Ronaldo’s late goal secured a 2-1 win at Barcelona — ending the league leaders’ 39-match unbeaten run. Zidane’s side remain third, seven points adrift of Barcelona and one behind second-placed Atletico Madrid.
“We must go step by step. First we must pass Atletico. Then we’ll see what happens. There are still games to play,” Zidane was quoted as saying by BBC on Saturday.
“This can be a turning point. It is very important, for the rest of season, for our spirit,” he said.
Real, who last won La Liga in 2012, have endured a turbulent season, with Zidane taking charge in January following the dismissal of Rafael Benitez after just seven months in charge.
They have, though, now won six matches in a row in all competitions as they prepare for Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final first-leg trip to Germany to face VFL Wolfsburg.
“When I see a team that’s united and all together, with everyone fighting for their team-mates and for their coach, there’s nothing better,” Zidane said.
“Coming into the game, we knew that we would have to work hard and be well prepared for it. We put in a good performance, we’ve got the three points and we now need to rest and start thinking about the Wolfsburg game because it’s very important for us as we look to continue what we’ve started,” the Frenchman said.
Barcelona’s defeat was their first in any competition since they lost 1-2 at Sevilla in La Liga on October 3.
They took the lead through Gerard Pique’s header, but Karim Benzema equalised before Ronaldo struck his 42nd goal of the season with five minutes left.
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Sunil Gavaskar gives his opinion of GT allrounder Rahul Tewatia
The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.
Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.
Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”
Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.