Navas not surprised by Ronaldo's Benzema gesture

Cristiano Ronaldo's selfless gesture to allow struggling team-mate Karim Benzema to score in Real Madrid's rout of Alaves did not come as a surprise to Keylor Navas.

Ronaldo passed up the opportunity to complete his hat-trick as he let Benzema seal Madrid's 4-0 victory over Alaves in LaLiga Saturday.

Benzema had only scored three league goals prior to the clash at the Santiago Bernabeu before five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo paved the way for the Frenchman to convert an 89th-minute penalty.

"Cristiano's gesture speaks volumes for the type of team this is and how he is as a person," goalkeeper Navas said post-match.

"We're all pulling in the same direction and we have to show our unity more than ever.

"We're thrilled with Karim's goal, as team-mates, we have to stick together. We're always going to fight for each other and while there is a lot of talk about Karim at the moment, we have to support one another."

On Benzema, Lucas Vazquez added: "He had a terrific game, provided two assists and scored… We're really happy with his efforts and let's hope that this continues. He's bang on form right now."

Defending champions Madrid are third in LaLiga, 14 points behind leaders and rivals Barcelona.