Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo won't be punished for the revengeful gesture he made upon scoring the first goal in the 2-0 La Liga win over Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday, Barcelona centre-back Gerard Pique told Marca.
"He was on fire. He is like that and sometimes he reacts and expresses himself like that," Pique said during an activity as Laureus ambassador. "He has never been punished for it before and I doubt that he would be now. Nor is it my problem."
Ronaldo's 300th Real Madrid goal was not his only dramatic contribution in Wednesday's 2-0 La Liga win as the reigning Ballon d'Or holder was harshly booked for diving in the 51st minute, and the game at the Estadio Vallecas remained scoreless past the hour mark.
Ronaldo made the gesture upon scoring the goal and it has been interpreted as directed toward referee Mario Melero Lopez for the fifth yellow card Ronaldo received.
Regarding Barcelona, Pique said the club looked strong heading into next week's Champions League quarterfinal against Paris Saint-Germain.
"We are in good form. Physically, we are fine and we have shown that in our matches," Pique said. "Regarding our play, we are better on some days as opposed to others and the results show that. We are at that point of the season at which winning is the most important thing.
"We are two teams that know each other well and have respect. I think they will be two matches similar to those that we had in the group stage. It is true that they have injuries, but playing in Paris is always complicated.
"We must come out and play our game and create scoring opportunities on each possession as it is true that we are now practicing a more direct game. April is a tough month. The important thing is to finish as we started, still alive in Champions and leading La Liga. It will be hard, and I don't think anyone in the league will get all the points."