A delighted Raul Gonzalez described Schalke’s 5-2 Champions League victory at Inter as a “dream result”, admitting that “nobody expected us to go to the home of the reigning champions and score five goals”.
“This was a massive step towards the semi-finals,” said the former Real Madrid forward, whose second half strike extended his record tally in the competition to 70 goals.
“It was a dream result for us. Nobody honestly expected us to go to the home of the reigning champions and score five goals, but we need to keep our feet on the ground and show Inter respect because they will be looking to turn it around in Germany and we’ll have to perform well again to ensure we reach the last four.
“Nobody was expecting this result and it just shows that anything can happen, but it was a huge result for us and one we deserved because we were better both technically and physically,” added Raúl. “We just need to make sure we play well again so that we can reach the semi-finals for the first time in the club’s history.”
Despite the result, the three-time winner of the competition urged caution ahead of the return leg. “We’re very happy but we’re staying calm and humble because we know we still have a lot to do. We will keep our heads down, keep working hard and hopefully enjoy the fruits of our labour.”
Fellow scorer Edu was quick to praise the impact of the former Madrid captain since his arrival.
“Raúl is an incredible player,” the forward said. “He scores in training, he scores in matches and he made a crucial contribution tonight, much as he has done all season. He is a player who can, and does, make the difference at this level, time and again.”
“His record is amazing,” added midfielder José Manuel Jurado. “I’m really pleased for him that he scored. He works very hard at his game and deserves his record.”
