Holders Real Madrid romped to a 6-0 win over Apoel Nicosia to book their UEFA Champions League last-16 spot on Tuesday night and Los Blancos manager Zinedine Zidane admitted his delight in seeing under-fire forwards Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo score.

“Getting their names on the scoresheet is good for Cristiano and Karim, but it’s good news for everyone and is particularly positive for them. They thrive on goals and they’ve both got braces to see us to victory. I’m delighted for Benzema, Cristiano and the whole team,” Zidane told the media after their biggest ever away win.

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While Ronaldo has been scoring freely in the Champions League (eight goals in five games), his tally in the La Liga (just one goal) has sparked speculation about his future in recent weeks.

And Benzema’s poor run of late had piled the pressure on Zidane, with many fans calling for the misfiring French forward to be dropped.

“We are on the right track, playing well. Our game is clearly growing, because scoring six away from home is no mean feat. You could say we were playing a weak team, but that is not true. We were focused, scored early and did not concede,” Zidane enthused.

Real, who won a Champions League and La Liga double last season, have made a poor start to their domestic and continental campaigns this time round.

Los Blancos trail eternal rivals Barcelona by 10 points after 12 rounds of matches and they are second in their UEFA Champions League group, three points behind Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur with just one game left.

And a scoreless draw in the Madrid Derby on Saturday had put a lot of pressure on Los Blancos, who will be feeling relieved after their massive victory in Cyprus.

“It has been a great matchday for us and the important thing is we have got through the group. Those who play less got some minutes and that’s great. In terms of the group we can do nothing. Even if we win our final game we will still be second and we have to get on with that. We shouldn’t be pessimistic, it will not change things. I know we have a long journey home, we can rest tomorrow and on Thursday focus on the Saturday’s La Liga game,” the Real Madrid manager added.