Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo hailed his teammates while saying playing in the Camp Nou against their biggest rivals Barcelona brings out the best in him.
Ronaldo outshone his illustrious opponent Lionel Messi in the latest El Clasico, with the Portuguese scoring two goals to help his side to a 3-1 victory.
That result gave Real an entry into the final of the Copa Del Rey, and Ronaldo admitted the entire team came to the party Tuesday.
"It was a great match for us," Ronaldo told the club's official website. "We played very well from the first to the last minute, we concentrated very well.
"We had a great attitude and played better. To score three goals here is very tough. I give the congratulations to the team because we had an amazing match.
"Lately, when we have played here we have done very well. We play almost better than at home. It's a matter of confidence, it is good for us, and most players like to play in the Camp Nou."
Ronaldo, who has scored eight goals at the Camp Nou, said he loves playing on Barca's home turf.
"I feel very comfortable playing on this ground," the 28-year-old added. "Besides, I always have the help of my teammates, which is what allows me to score goals.
"Going into the history books for scoring so many times in a row is something nice and I am proud to be writing a page in the history of Spanish football."
The other Real goalscorer Raphael Varane also acknowledged it was the joint effort of the entire eleven players that helped the side to an eventually comfortable win over the runaway La Liga leaders.
"We are happy and when we play like that, as a team, we know we can win," the French defender said. "Barcelona are a difficult team to defend against because they have very fast players, so we played tight together and tried not to leave spaces.
"Now we have to move forward and think about the final and our next matches."
Barcelona players looked forlorn after they suffered a second defeat in three matches, after their 2-0 loss to AC Milan in the Champions League last Wednesday.
Playmaker Cesc Fabregas, though, said the players would not dwell too much on the defeat and would prepare to put on a better show when the two sides meet again in the league on Saturday at the Bernabeu.
"We have to give more, we have to pick ourselves up, move forward and win on Saturday," he told the club's official website.
"Madrid hurt us on the counter and that's their specialty, the second goal crippled us.
"We have to learn from this ... the two most important titles are coming up and we have to move forward."
