Carlo Ancelotti: Ronaldo has saved his goal for final

The Portuguese failed to get off the mark in Marrakech but contributed with a pair of assists for Gareth Bale and Isco, prompting his Coach to marvel about his unselfish work in helping Los Blancos reach the final.

"It's never easy but the team played well and won. Now we'll see how the final goes," Ancelotti told reporters after the match.

"It's true that [Iker]Casillas saving the penalty was key. Being 2-0 up, the game seemed to be over and they were still able to exploit us. He made a very good stop.

"Cristiano [Ronaldo] played very well, he gave us plenty of assistance and was very effective, even though he didn't score. He's surely saved himself a goal for the final."

Meanwhile, Iker Casillas described his penalty save as a turning point.

The goalkeeper made it successive spot kick saves to deny Gerrardo Torrado from 12 yards out in Marrakech, and he hailed the feel-good factor currently sweeping through Los Blancos ahead of Saturday's final.

"Once again the team were great. We had a great game, and although it may seem that the 4-0 was easy, the truth is that at the beginning and end of the first half, Cruz Azul had chances," he said after the game.

If they had scored the penalty, they would have got back to 2-1 and started the second half with the momentum, but the third goal gave us serenity. "It's true that 12 or 13 years ago, I stopped this team in the Teresa Herrera trophy[on penalties].

"The truth is I'm happy and contented, and much of this is because of the group dynamics. The collective is very good. "Let's see what obstacle we have to clear first [in the final]. We need to put the icing on the cake, but it won't be easy."

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