Hierro crocked as Real Madrid beat Betis

Real Madrid moved within a point of La Liga leaders Real Sociedad with a 4-1 triumph over Real Betis yesterday.

Madrid won through goals from Raul, Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo. Betis' Fernando had opened the scoring.

While the victory was emphatic, it came at a cost with Fernando Hierro limping off in the second-half with damaged ligaments in his right knee.

Afterwards, trainer Vicente del Bosque said: "Any injury is unfortunate, he will be a big loss because he is an important player to our team."

He continued, "It was a very important victory against a difficult opponent. They played well in the first-half, but I was very pleased with the way our players responded after half-time."

"We pushed them back and took our chances well."