Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo reacted angrily on Monday to his sending off against Malaga on Sunday night.

Ronaldo, who had scored both of his side's goals in a 2-0 win, was sent off for lashing out with his elbow at Malaga defender Mtiglia.

Ronaldo's elbow left the full back with a broken nose, but nevertheless the Real Madrid player felt he was hard done by to be shown the red card.

"It's a disgrace that the referee (Perez Lasa) sent me off. That isn't a red card anywhere in the world," he said in Monday's edition of sports paper Marca.

"There might have been a bit of blood, but it was bad luck that I hit him in the nose, because Mtiglia is only 1.70cm tall and if he had been taller, I would have hit him in the chest," he continued.

The action happened as Mtiglia tried to stop Ronaldo running with the ball and the forward could not hide his frustration.

"I had the intention of playing the ball. I learned a lot about this in England, because in the past I used to dive, but I am a bit angry that players do things like this," he said.

"I have apologized to him, but he said there was no need, because my intention was not to hurt him," he concluded.

Ronaldo will now have to wait to see what kind of a suspension he will receive. If the Spanish FA's Disciplinary Committee considers his action to be aggression, he will get a ban of between four to 12 games.