Alvaro Arbeloa believes he was fortunate to score one of the crucial goals in Sunday's Madrid derby, with Xabi Alonso more deserving of the credit for his impressive assist.
The former Liverpool defender broke down the right to score Real Madrid's second goal against Atletico Madrid in a 3-2 victory to help put his side back on top of the table.
Despite making headlines for his goal, Arbeloa is keen to ensure that Alonso is given due credit for his long pass out to the wing which opened up the Atletico defence.
"I am still asking myself how I scored that goal," he said. "I think Xabi Alonso deserves all the credit because he produced a perfect pass.
"Of course, I was delighted to score but he showed that he was one of the best passers in the world.
"People were surprised because I do not score many goals, so the fans are not accustomed to seeing me doing that."
EnergiesWith Real and Barcelona again locked on the same points at the top of the table, attention has again turned to what promises to be an epic encounter at Santiago Bernabeu on 11th April.
However, Arbeloa insists the next fixture is always the most important and claims Manuel Pellegrini's troops remain fully focused on Sunday's trip to Racing Santander.
"We have to play against Santander first," he continued. "That is the game that we are now thinking about and that we are putting all our energies into. We will think about the Barcelona match later on.
"Of course games against teams like Barca bring incredible tension. I have played in the derby between Liverpool and Manchester United and in the Clasico here, so I know.
"This year the pressure will be even greater because things are so equal, so it will be really important. The expectation levels are rising."
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