AS.com

Iker Casillas made an unexpected appearance in the Camp Nou press room after Real Madrid beat Barcelona 3-1 to seal their place in the Copa del Rey final.

The Madrid goalkeeper and captain took over media duties from José Mourinho and Aitor Karanka and explained:

"The dressing room decided it would be a good idea for the captain to speak so we could share this great feeling with the fans. After the season we've had in the league, I think this triumph will make us more relaxed and more enthusiastic about for the rest of the year."

A perfect performance: "I'm not going to comment on Barça, I'm going to focus on my team-mates, because they were brilliant. We controlled the spaces and we were superb in defence. Cristiano was phenomenal, the team gave a ten out of ten performance and we are worthy finalists."

Cristiano: "He is vital to the team. He was fantastic, but so were the whole team. We all know that he is our reference point, and he has proved his quality, not just tonight, but in other Clásicos too."

Significance of the victory:"I hope this can be a turning point for us, because this is a very difficult place to go to. Now we want to play an important part in the Champions League, and in the league too. We'll go to Manchester with the same plan, to a stadium that we love to play in. We have to reproduce this performance at Old Trafford."

The league game with Barça on Saturday:"The points gap between us is not a fair reflection of things, but Barça have been much better in the league. We want to cut the gap to 13 points and then see what happens. Barça are a great team, but they've been unfortunate this week."

Diego López:"He is a brilliant goalkeeper and he has brought us calm, he's been a huge boost."

Playing better in big games:"When things go wrong in the league, sometimes we don't give 100%. But the Copa del Rey and the Champions League are big challenges. In any case, we need to keep fighting in the league to make up the gap with the leaders."