Zidane: Ronaldo was not angry after substitution

Zinedine Zidane insists Cristiano Ronaldo was not angry after he was removed from Saturday's game against Las Palmas.

With his Real Madrid enjoying a 2-1 lead, the French manager opted to remove Ronaldo in favour of Lucas Vazquez with just under 20 minutes remaining.

The Portuguese star appeared to be resentful as he walked off the pitch, but Zidane explained to reporters that Ronaldo was not angry.

"Angry? That would be your interpretation," Zidane said. "He always wants to be on the pitch. We have to take him out sometimes, and we did today. It does not change anything."

Las Palmas eventually went on to snatch the win away from Real when Sergio Ezequiel Araujo brought the match level with five minutes remaining.

Despite the draw, Real remains in top spot with a one-point advantage over Barcelona.

The extra rest for Ronaldo, however, could prove useful ahead of Real's Champions League tie Tuesday when it visits Borussia Dortmund.