Real Madrid ensured there were no hiccups with respect to the La Liga title race with a routine 3-0 win over Villarreal on Wednesday night. Goals from Karim Benzema, Lucas Vazquez and Luka Modric saw the all-whites win all three points to keep the pressure on Barcelona and neighbours Atletico Madrid.
Squads
Real Madrid: Keylor Navas, Danilo, Varane, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Casemiro, Modric, Kroos, Vazquez, Benzema, Ronaldo
Villarreal: Asenjo, Mario, Bonera, Bailly, Rukavina, Dos Santos, Trigueros, Bruno, Denis Suarez, Adrian, Bakambu
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Gareth Bale and Dani Carvajal both missed the game, just as Zinedine Zidane had mentioned earlier this week, with Danilo and Lucas Vazquez taking their place in the starting lineups. Raphael Varane partnered Sergio Ramos in defence while Casemiro played in front of them in midfield.
Real Madrid made to work hard in first half
With Barcelona having thrashed Deportivo 8-0 and Atletico Madrid winning 1-0 at San Mames over Athletic Bilbao, the pressure was on Real Madrid to catch up and maintain pressure in the La Liga title race. Three points were absolutely necessary for Zidane’s men as they hosted the Yellow Submarine at the Bernabeu – a team that is not in the title race but nevertheless in fourth place in Spain.
The game started at a frenetic pace with both sides pushing forward to get an early goal but with no real threat on goal. But the home side did see more action in the final third. The visitors’ defence kept them at bay for most of the first half with Vazquez and Ronaldo attempting long-range shots to try and grab an opener.
However, Los Blancos managed to take the lead through Karim Benzema with less than five minutes to go in the first half. Cristiano Ronaldo had the ball on the left flank and sent in a cross that was parried away by Sergio Asenjo. Unfortunately for him, it was straight at an onrushing Karim Benzema who only had to hop on the spot to head it into an empty net to open the scoring for Real Madrid yet again this season.
Half-time: Real Madrid 1-0 Villarreal
Real Madrid finish the job in second half
The second period saw Ronaldo try his best to get on the scoresheet. First, he attempted a shot from outside the box that was off target. He then tried to make his way into the box before Villarreal right-back Antonio Rukavina tackled him and even won a goal kick much to Ronaldo’s dismay.
For a while, it looked like Villarreal could hang on and attack on the counter. But Lucas Vazquez soon changed the equation with a blistering effort from the edge of the box. The 24-year-old winger made his way into the box and fired a shot past Asenjo to make it 2-0 to Madrid.
Luka Modric then made it 3-0 with a goal that did not have his name written all over it. For all his creativity on the pitch, the Croatian midfielder has never scored from inside the box in La Liga and he managed to do so on this occasion.
A Real Madrid counter-attack saw Danilo send in a cross from the right flank. The ball was too high for Ronaldo and he watched it sail over him towards Modric who met it with his left foot and side-footed it in rather than volley it past Asenjo.
The win means that all three title contenders won three points in the midweek games. With four games to go, it is anybody’s guess as to who could win the Spanish La Liga.
