Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini lamented his side's defensive display in the 3-2 victory over Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu, but was delighted to pick up a vital three points to maintain pressure on league leaders Barcelona.
Cristiano Ronaldo popped up with just seconds remaining to head home a valuable winner, and Los Blancos had twice been behind in an end-to-end contest with numerous goalscoring opportunities.
The win sees Pellegrini's side narrow the gap to just one point at the summit of La Liga with three matches remaining, and he commented to journalists after the contest, ""Osasuna made us suffer a lot. It was the worst game of the year for us defensively, but we merited the win with the three goals we have scored "
"I am relieved to have a player like Cristiano Ronaldo in our team, he makes a big difference, and his luck is with us "
Pellegrini also commented on the destination of the title, and he believes that the battle for the title is likely to go down to the final day of the season.
He added, ""The schedule is very difficult, but I think it will be decided on the final day "
"The team have shown great heart and that is very important for these final three games. Let us make Barcelona gain 99 points in order to be champions."