Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo said he was not aware that anyone doubted his ability after he became the first player ever to reach 100 European goals with a double as his team came back to win 2-1 in Wednesday's Champions League quarterfinal first leg at Bayern Munich.
Bayern had the better of the first half at the Allianz Arena, and were ahead through Arturo Vidal's header, with the Chile international missing a chance to make it 2-0 when he blazed a penalty too high just before the break.
But Ronaldo equalised almost immediately following half-time by knocking home Dani Carvajal's cross, then provoked two bookings which saw Bayern centre-half Javi Martinez sent off, and completed the comeback by stabbing in a cross from substitute Marco Asensio.
The 32 year old Portugal captain had gone 659 minutes without scoring in Europe before his first goal on the night, and was asked on BeIn Sports after the game if he understood how people had doubted him.
"I don't know who doubted me," Ronaldo replied. "The people who love Cristiano never had any doubts. You'd have to tell me who kept doubting as it never reached me."
Ronaldo said he was happy with how the game had gone, and that he and his teammates had still been confident in the dressing room at half-time even at 1-0 down.
"I am very happy," he said. "The team reacted very well, it is not easy to play here, against a very difficult team. Even losing at the break, we had a good feeling for the second half.
"We played very well, we scored early and the game became easier. The victory is deserved although it leaves things very open for the return game."
Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer denied Ronaldo a hat trick with some excellent saves when Madrid were on top against 10 men, and earned some praise from Los Blancos' No. 7.
"Neuer was very good, he made some saves," he said. "Sometimes we score, other times we don't. If Neuer does not have a day like this, we could have scored more goals."
Meanwhile, manager Zinedine Zidane echoed his star player's comments that things were still wide open for next Tuesday's return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, adding that his team would be made to suffer in the teams' next meeting.
"You are never going to kill off the tie," Zidane said. "With our second half, playing very well, keeping the ball from the opponent and the chances we had, it is clear that another goal would have been better. We are all a bit disappointed but we were up against a goalkeeper who made a lot of great saves.
"There is still a return game to come, even with another goal tonight it would not have been over. You never know in football. We will suffer in the second leg, Bayern can play the same way away from home.
"[Cristiano] was happy, but not fully happy as he wanted a third goal too. And as he has so much ambition ... but in the end we are all happy as it is not easy to get this result here."
Bayern had won their last 16 home Champions League games, a run stretching all the way back to Madrid's 4-0 victory on their last visit in the 2014 UCL semifinal second leg. The former France international said his team's patience and ability to wrest possession away from Bayern had been key.
"To win here is not easy," Zidane said. "We suffered a lot in the first half. With patience, and taking the ball from them, the second half was very good. If you go in at half-time 0-2 down then it is another game. It was not a penalty, but this can happen.
"With patience we got the equaliser at the start of the second half, and from there it was another game. And then playing against 10 it was easier."
A negative from the night for Madrid was another apparent calf muscle injury for Wales winger Gareth Bale. He was replaced by youngster Marco Asensio, who went on to make the assist for Ronaldo's winner.
"At half-time he was feeling something and, as always we did not want to take any risks," Zidane said. "In fact he feels bad now. We will see. We hope it is not much, but in the end I am happy with the substitution and what [Asensio] did on the pitch."