Zinedine Zidane Hails 'Stunning' Real Madrid Second Half After 5-3 Comeback Win Over Real Betis

Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has praised his side's "stunning" second-half performance which saw them come from 2-1 down at the break to eventually run out

Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has praised his side's "stunning" second-half performance which saw them come from 2-1 down at the break to eventually run out 5-3 winners over Real Betis on Sunday evening. 

Marco Asensio opened the scoring after just 10 minutes, however, once again this season Los Blancos seemed complacent while holding the lead and shortly before the half-time whistle found themselves trailing after a Aissa Mandi header and an own goal from Nacho Fernandez. 

However, the Spanish capital club quickly got back on level terms following the interval, with Sergio Ramos heading home just five minutes into the second-half, which was then added to by Asensio for his second of the evening and his side's 6000th in La Liga - the only side to ever reach that feat - and Cristiano Ronaldo, whose strike on the hour mark looked to have sealed all three points. 

That's goal number 6⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣ for Real Madrid in #LaLigaSantander! 💥#RealBetisRealMadrid #LaLigaHistory pic.twitter.com/WcpCKygkHY

— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) February 18, 2018

However, as Sergio Leon slotted home from a tight angle with five minutes remaining, Real Betis could smell blood, but any hope of an equaliser was extinguished when Karim Benzema capitalised on a sloppy Christian Tello pass to wrap up the victory in added time. 

The contest truly optimised the bipolar campaign Real Madrid are enduring domestically this term, and after the eight-goal thriller, Zidane was keen to focus on the positives of the second-half rather than the lacklustre showing from his side for the majority of the first. 

Real Madrid back? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/ssaN6VeKro

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) February 18, 2018

"It was a real end-to-end affair, a bit of a frantic game, but I enjoyed it", the Frenchman told the club's official website. "That scoreline shows that our opponents, who are on great form, played very well and dominated proceedings for some spells. 

"I'm not going to focus on the three goals we've conceded, but rather the five we've scored.

"We got off to a very good start, then I don't know quite what happened. We dropped deeper and the whole complexion of the game changed. 

➕3⃣ FC Barcelona
➕3⃣ Atlético Madrid
➕3⃣ Valencia CF
➕3⃣ Real Madrid CF
➕3⃣ Sevilla FC

🔥 #LaLigaSantander 🔥 pic.twitter.com/WqRMPZpHqp

— LALIGA (@LaLiga) February 18, 2018

"After the break, we did the total opposite, we produce a stunning second-half performance and I'm happy with how all of them performed out there.

"I did speak to the players [at half-time] and we performed much better in the second-half", he added. "They wanted to do more as well, they knew things had to change because we were not playing at all well in the closing stages of the first-half."

Asensio needs to be a regular, no chopping or changing from now until the end of the season. Just brings so much to the table that Real Madrid lack in abundance.

— David Cartlidge (@davidjaca) February 18, 2018

However, despite the victory opening up a six-point buffer over fifth-placed Sevilla in Los Blancos' race for a top four finish, it was not all good news on Sunday evening, with Marcelo being forced off with what appeared to be a hamstring injury just before the Betis fightback began.

"I hope it’s nothing serious, we’ll have to assess it tomorrow", Zidane added. "He told me he feels like it’s just a knock, but we’ll have to wait and see."