Real Madrid vs. Villarreal: Score, Reaction from 2016 La Liga Match

Real Madrid cruised to a 3-0 win over Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu during Wednesday's La Liga action, keeping pace with rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in the race for the Spanish title.

Karim Benzema gave the hosts the lead shortly before half-time, and Lucas Vazquez doubled their advantage midway through the second half. Luka Modric made it 3-0 shortly after, as Real dominated the Yellow Submarine from start to finish and deservedly grabbed the win.       

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

The result means Los Blancos still sit one point behind Barcelona and Atletico in the title chase.

As shared by Real’s official Twitter account, both James Rodriguez and Isco started on the bench for Los Blancos, while there was no sign of Gareth Bale:

Real started the contest one point behind Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in the standings, and with both of those teams winning in Week 34, Los Blancos had no choice but to follow suit.

Villarreal have a reputation for being open and aggressive, even against the best teams in Spain, and the Yellow Submarine entered the match with momentum on their side after their strong showing in the UEFA Europa League.

Even at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, the visitors showed they weren’t afraid to play their brand of football, which led to an entertaining first half. Keylor Navas was the first goalkeeper to touch the ball after Villarreal tried to unleash in-form striker Cedric Bakambu.

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

Denis Suarez also looked lively early. But Real were the better team, and Benzema tested Sergio Asenjo for the first time with a hard shot from 16 yards out. Cristiano Ronaldo was next, drawing a fine stop from Asenjo at the near post.

Kieran Canning of Agence France-Presse noted the weather conditions were not ideal for Real’s usual playing style built around quick breaks:

While Real were the better side with the ball, their crosses weren’t as sharp as the home fans would have liked, and Asenjo didn’t have to make that many crucial stops. Raphael Varane went close with a header off a corner kick, but even that effort barely troubled the Villarreal defence.

The Bernabeu started to grow restless after an attempted through ball for Ronaldo glided across the wet pitch and out for a goal-kick, and after 30 minutes, the hosts still hadn’t mustered any good chances. Benzema tried his luck from a difficult angle, firing wide of the post.

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

But Los Blancos increased the tempo toward the end of the half, and Villarreal started to struggle. Vazquez didn’t miss the target by much with a strong shot with his weaker foot, and Ronaldo found some space to shoot from a long distance, missing the goal by quite a bit.

The breakthrough eventually came via Benzema, who found himself in the right place at the right time—just as Asenjo weakly palmed a cross in his direction. Per Phil Kitromilides of Real Madrid TV, the Frenchman has built quite the reputation for opening the score:

Denis fired the last chance of the half too close to Navas, as Real entered half-time with a deserved one-goal lead.

Sergio Ramos started the second half by gifting possession to Bakambu, but fortunately for the Spain international, Varane was there to clean up his mess and intercept a through ball intended for Denis.

Ronaldo planted a powerful header on the wrong side of the upright before pressuring the Villarreal defence into giving up a corner, as Los Blancos actively went looking for a second goal. A deflected shot didn't trouble Asenjo, and the stopper watched as another shot whizzed past the post minutes later.

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

Real's pressure didn't relent, and Villarreal barely got a look on Navas' goal in the second half. Daniele Bonera made a vital tackle to deny Benzema his second goal, and Eric Bertrand Bailly had his hands full with Ronaldo, providing some of the top duels of the night.

Denis fired one of his team's few chances straight at Navas before Vazquez finally provided the liberating second goal, using his pace to find an opening before angling the ball past Asenjo and into the bottom corner. ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan didn't see any way back for Villarreal after that score:

With the two-goal lead, Real finally took their foot off the pedal and started playing the ball around, hoping to run out the clock.

There was enough time for Modric to get on the scoresheet as well, however, as the Croatian smartly dropped off to receive a cutback before smashing the ball underneath Asenjo. 

Real will finish the La Liga campaign with matches against Rayo Vallecano, Real Sociedad, Valencia and Deportivo La Coruna, while they'll also meet Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League. 

Post-Match Reaction

Los Blancos manager Zinedine Zidane's post-match comments focused on Ronaldo after he appeared to leave the pitch at the end with an injury. Per football journalist Dermot Corrigan, he said:

According to Corrigan, he added: "A player like Cristiano, sometimes he should rest, not finish a game, or sit it out. But he always wants to be out on the pitch. Sometimes, for me, today when I see him coming off pitch, it's difficult. Important games to come, we'll see when he's back."