Varane hails Ronaldo but warns ´war´ not won

Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane praised Cristiano Ronaldo but warned his team their Champions League tie against Atletico was not yet over.

Ronaldo’s hat-trick guided Madrid to a 3-0 win over their city rivals in the first leg of their semi-final at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.

His treble followed on from scoring five goals in the quarter-final tie against Bayern Munich as champions Madrid put a foot in the decider.

Varane said Ronaldo could always be relied upon in moments that mattered, but told his team they needed to be switched on in next week’s return leg.

“We’re happy with the result. We didn’t concede and that’s crucial in a Champions League knockout tie,” he said.

“We all worked hard and Cristiano Ronaldo was outstanding, he always makes the difference in the big games.

“We won the battle but we haven’t won the war.

“We thank the fans for their support because they played a key role, gave us added strength and together we’ve managed to win it.”