Raul: Without Messi Real Madrid would have won

Real Madrid captain Raul was full of praise for Barcelona's hat-trick hero Leo Messi after last night's 3-3 draw at the Nou Camp.

"Sincerely, I congratulate Messi because it is far from easy to score three goals in the El Clasico. His achievement has enormous merit. He is a fantastic footballer and has demonstrated his quality on many occasions," said Raul.

"But for him, we would be now talking about a rightful victory for Real Madrid."

Raul also said: "We clearly dominated this game, especially in the second-half. We had Barca on the ropes, but couldn't finish them off. What this performance clearly shows, however, that the Liga is still within our grasp."

Teammate Ruud van Nistelrooy, who struck twice on the night, declared: "It's incredible. In the second-half, only Real Madrid existed. We had all the ball and the chances at goal. We were the ones playing to win, we deserved to do so."

"The championship? If we play as well as we did tonight for the rest of this season, then anything can happen."