Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo knows his Portugal teammates did him a favour with Atletico Madrid's victory over Barcelona.

Ronaldo spent the week leading up to Atletico's game bombarding Tiago and Simao with texts urging them to stun Barca.

After the result, Ronaldo told Marca: "We're now in a better position than ever before. Now, we cannot let this slip. We must be totally focused for the Liga and also the Champions League."

Gonzalo Higuain added: "We have everything to play for."