Ronaldo red card was unfair, insists Marcelo

The Brazil international feels the referee was wrong to dismiss the Ballon d'Or holder and believes Madrid were unlucky not to win

Real Madrid defender Marcelo has hit out at referee Miguel Ayza for his decision to send off Cristiano Ronaldo during Sunday's 1-1 La Liga draw against Athletic Bilbao.

The Portugal international was dismissed after he got involved in a scuffle with Carlos Gurpegui and Ander Iturraspe in the 76th minute, but Marcelo feels the prolific international did not deserve a red card for his actions.

"It is tough to lose a player unfairly," Marcelo was quoted as saying on the official Madrid website.

"Cristiano’s sending off was unfair, but I am not going to talk about whether the referee had a good match or not."

The left-back stressed that even though Madrid always aim to win, a draw in Bilbao was still a good result for los Blancos.

"We won a point, which is very difficult here, but our mentality is to win every match," Marcelo continued.

"It is not always possible and we kept going until the end. Athletic Bilbao are a good team but we were unlucky and it’s a shame."

Madrid currently sit third in La Liga, trailing leaders Atletico Madrid by three points.