Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos said that "hard work gets its reward" after his late equaliser in Saturday afternoon's 1-1 Clasico draw at Barcelona -- while teammate Luka Modric said the manner of the escape made the result feel like a victory for his side.
Barcelona seemed to have taken a much needed win thanks to Luis Suarez's header early in the second half -- but Ramos rose above the Barca defence in the 89th minute to nod in Modric's well-delivered free kick.
With his side still six points clear in the table, the Blancos skipper told BeIN Sports afterwards that not losing the game had been "necessary."
"Today is was necessary to keep picking up points," Ramos said. "The team did very good work, worked very hard. It was a good cross from Luka, for a change, and... I'm just happy for the goal.
"It was a very tight game, with two teams who wanted to keep possession. In the first half we had more chances, but we couldn't take them. But hard work gets its reward."
With the draw following a recent 3-0 win at Atletico Madrid, Zidane's side are looking well set for a first La Liga title since 2012.
"We have kept the gap in the table," Ramos said. "It is a prize for the good work we have been doing from the start of the season. There is no need to get carried away, but it is good to have our destiny in our own hands."
¡HASTA EL FINAL! Siempre hasta el final.
Until the final whistle. Always until the final whistle.
#HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/MWI5QNaq6N- Sergio Ramos (@SergioRamos) December 3, 2016
Modric said in the Camp Nou mixed zone afterwards that the point felt like a victory for his team, who now needed to keep their focus as there was still a long way to go in the title race.
"To score a goal like that in a Clasico is almost like a win," the Croatia international said. "We are top of the table and we must keep going like this. There is a long way to go in La Liga, we must stay on this same path."
The former Tottenham playmaker also took the 93rd-minute corner which Ramos famously headed to the net in the 2014 Champions League final against Atletico Madrid. He said that there was nothing practised about the move, but that taker and finisher understood each other perfectly.
"It is not the first time," Modric smiled. "[Ramos] told me where to put it, and I put it there, and that's it. It seems easy. We do not practise it -- it just comes out naturally."
Zidane's resilient side can now match the all-time Madrid club record of 34 games unbeaten if they avoid defeat in Wednesday's Champions League group game at home to Borussia Dortmund.
"I hope our next defeat is still a long way away," Modric said. "We have to just go from game to game. I always say that with such quality in the team, so many world-class players, if we play as a team and put everything into the games, it is very difficult to beat us.
"We must do that in every game, not just the Clasico or against Atletico. Now we are in very good form, we are feeling confident and we must keep going like this and never give in."