Real Madrid coach Rafa Benitez refused to be drawn on either the referee's performance or his own team's fans unhappiness after Sunday afternoon's 10-2 victory over Rayo Vallecano at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.
A nervous looking Madrid team looked in trouble at 2-1 down, with the Bernabeu's fans growing increasingly angry with the team's performance. But a deserved red card for Rayo right-back Tito hurt the visitors and changed the game completely.
After Gareth Bale had made it 2-2, another sending off left Rayo down to nine men for the last hour of the game. Madrid then went on the rampage, with Bale scoring another three times, Karim Benzema notching a hat trick, Cristiano Ronaldo a double, and right-back Danilo also getting on the scoresheet.
"There are three phases in the game," Benitez said at his postgame news conference. "One when we score and did what we knew to do -- get behind their defence. Second, when we conceded, and we need to improve intensity in defence. Third, when, bit by bit, the team took control, taking advantage of our numerical advantage. We had to do that and score goals, and we did."
This was the first time any team had scored 10 times in a La Liga game since 1969, and the first time a team coached by Benitez had netted so many.
However most of the questioning in the Bernabeu press room centered on the unusual atmosphere throughout -- which included some Madrid fans applauding the visitors' attempts to keep playing football even with two fewer men. Benitez denied his team had been affected by whistling for him and the players before kickoff.
"No -- as it was a short period, very quick," he said. "I came out late to the dugout, focused to start the game. The players scored early, so the fans were happy then. We cannot say [the negativity] lasted a long time, so it did not affect them. We conceded two quick goals, and the team reacted. I will not judge what happened, can just say my team did well and scored goals."
Asked if he had seen Ronaldo turning to the stands and asking for his own side's fans to stop whistling and get behind the team, Benitez said that the players knew they would be criticised when they were not doing well.
"We are going round and around the same theme," he said. "It does not change. The players know fans are not happy at moments in the game, they have to do better. That is what we tried to do, nothing more."
Real defender Sergio Ramos said he understood why there had been whistles from the Bernabeu crowd when Rayo were ahead early.
"When 10 minutes into the game you are 1-2 down to Rayo at the Bernabeu it falls on top of you," he said. "Some people will say we could even have lost the game, but I would put my hand in the fire that we were going to turn it around."
There was backing for Cristiano Ronaldo, however, who during play had ostentatiously appealed to his own team's fans to stop whistling and get behind their team.
"Sometimes the players are free to express their feelings," Ramos said. "[Ronaldo] always says what he feels. When we most needed the support of the fans there were whistles, and sometimes what you need most is affection from your fans. They can point you out when you do not give everything. If you give all then they cannot complain about anything."
Referee Ignacio Iglesias Villanueva was criticised heavily (if implicitly) by Rayo coach Paco Jemez when he spoke to the press, with the visiting manager suggesting the game had been ruined by the official's decisions and the spectacle had been an embarrassment for everyone involved.
The Madrid coach declined to react directly on Jemez's comments, while saying as a coach all he could do in the surreal situation was keep guiding his players forward.
"Over all the games we have had, I never talk about referees, either way," Rafa said. "I will not do that now. We did what we had to do, to score goals and win the game. As a coach you try for your team to score goals, make it hard for them to score against you. You need to respect your rival, but when you can add something, help your team, you do that."