Cristiano Ronaldo should not have been sent off in Real Madrid's 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao, according to his teammate Marcelo.

Ronaldo was shown a straight red card after the referee adjudged that he had raised a hand to the face of Carlos Gurpegi, but Marcelo insists that it was an "unfair" decision.

"It is tough to lose a player unfairly. Cristiano's sending off was unfair, but I am not going to talk about whether the referee had a good match or not," the Brazilian told the club's official website.

Madrid are third in La Liga.