Real Madrid comfortably overcame Espanyol 6-0 on Sunday evening at the Estadio Santiago Bernebau.
Coach Zinedine Zidane was hoping his side would respond well following their 1-1 draw against Real Betis last week. He could hardly have been more pleased, with fellow Frenchman Karim Benzema finding the inside of the net early on in the first term.
Indeed, the hosts had a 3-0 advantage after only 16 minutes of play, with Portuguese wizard Cristiano Ronaldo converting from the penalty spot and James Rodriguez’ strike deflecting past the reach of the visiting goalkeeper.
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Ronaldo went on to complete his hat-trick with a super strike and a header on the end of a Jese free-kick.
Where were the visitors in all of this?
Well, seemingly attempting to not concede more goals, however, the pressure seemed too much for some, as Espanyol defender Oscar Duarte added a sixth to Real’s tally by turning Jese’s low strike into the back of his own net.
The result sees los Blancos sitting one point behind second placed rivals Atletico Madrid and four behind leaders Barcelona.
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30 La Liga goals for Ronaldo
Another hat-trick and another subheading for the Portuguese superstar. Thus far in the season he has amassed an amazing total of 30 goals.
Even more impressive is the fact the Galacticos have scored 41 goals in their past seven home fixtures, which is an average strike rate of almost 5.9 goals per match.
Yet while this is a fantastic statistic, it is almost always against the lower tier teams of the domestic league, with goals being hard to come by when the squad plays the likes of Barcelona.
Indeed, there still is the matter of silverware that needs to be addressed, with Madrid winning only one La Liga title in seven years.
Their Catalan rivals have more than made their intentions clear for the season and have exerted their dominance over Zidane’s men, with their most recent victory having the whopping scoreline of 4-0.
However, this result was a positive for Ronaldo and a step in the right direction for the Madridistas, but catching up to Barcelona is proving to be a more difficult task.
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No Bale, no worries
Welsh superstar Gareth Bale was not a part of last night’s victory, still sidelined and nursing a calf injury. However, it appears that he was anything but missed in his side’s rampant performance against Espanyol.
Colombian jet Rodriguez was his replacement in the front three and was more than ready for the challenge. In fact, he relished the opportunity and appeared hungry to provide the creativity needed by the forward line.
Not only did he assist with the first goal via a great cross, but also got himself onto the scoresheet, albeit with a deflection. His performance has perhaps silenced his critics momentarily and has put himself in good stead to gain more starts for the Madridistas.
Bale, on the other hand, is expected to be fit for the side’s UEFA Champions League round of 16 clash with Italian giants AS Roma.
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