Real Madrid's Jose Mourinho Heaps Praise Upon Karim Benzema

Real Madrid recorded a comfortable 7-0 home win over Malaga on Thursday evening and French striker Karim Benzema played an important role in los Blancos' win by netting a brace, earning praise from coach Jose Mourinho in the process.

The Portuguese acknowledged the former Olympique Lyonnais star's recent improvement on the pitch, and offered positive words in the post-match press conference.

"Karim Benzema is playing much better in recent weeks. He is a completely different player from the footballer he was when I arrived," Mourinho was quoted as saying on the official Madrid website.

"He is much more solid, and stronger both physically and mentally. He played very well tonight and was dynamic. I liked him a lot."

"I knew what Emmanuel Adebayor could do before he arrived here. I knew how he played and I knew what he could bring to the team.  Having two centre forwards available gives you the chance of using one or the other depending on the game."

Madrid closed the gap to league leaders Barcelona back to seven points courtesy of their emphatic victory.