Ruud van Nistelrooy paid tribute to Ecija for their battling qualities after the third division side matched Real Madrid for three-quarters of their two-legged Copa del Rey tie.Having drawn the opening leg 1-1 at home, Ecija looked the more likely scorers in the first half of Thursday night´s return meeting at the Bernabeu. But Real, who were dire during the scoreless opening period, were a different proposition after the break and swept their lower-league opponents aside 5-1 to progress through to the next round.Van Nistelrooy said: "Ecija were no pushovers - they played a fine game. They pressed us with order. They took advantage of the fact that the distance between our defensive and attacking lines was enormous."
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