Cape Town - Real
Madrid defender Sergio Ramos admits they were already thinking about
the Champions League during Saturday's 5-2 win over Real Sociedad.
Los Blancos were four goals ahead by half-time at the Santiago Bernabeu, and eased off after the break as thoughts turned to Wednesday's last-16 clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
"Tonight, from the first minute, the team went out to play football, keep the ball, press their opponents to win the ball high up the pitch, and there was a big difference," Ramos said.
"From that, we were more clinical in front of goal. Did we drop off in the second half? I'd be lying to you if I said that we weren't thinking about PSG.
"We're playing for our season. We could've kept going, but we couldn't maintain that rate for 90 minutes. We knew how to manage ourselves. The objective was to gain confidence and we did that.
"PSG? This is what any team would want. Football is based on intensity and attitude, leaving the pitch empty. Sometimes you don't, but that's the intention."
The win over La Real saw Lucas Vazquez and Toni Kroos find the net alongside a hat-trick from Cristiano Ronaldo, who seems to be hitting a patch of form ahead of the PSG encounter.
"We're happy with him," Real manager Zinedine Zidane said of Ronaldo. "On Friday, I was asked if I was worried about his lack of goals and he scored three.
"On Wednesday, it'll be another game and we'll have to apply even more desire. We need to think about Wednesday. It's a big challenge for everyone. It's another competition and another source of motivation for us. We'll be very motivated."