Levante vs. Real Madrid: Winners and Losers from La Liga Game
Real Madrid stormed past Levante, 5-0, in their final La Liga game before the much-hyped El Clasico next Saturday.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the top scorer for Carlo Ancelotti's side, as he scored his 14th and 15th goals in league play.
Javier Hernandez, James Rodriguez and Isco also contributed goals to give Los Blancos their fifth consecutive league win.
Here's a look at the biggest winners and losers from the one-sided affair in Valencia.
Winner: Cristiano Ronaldo
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Cristiano Ronaldo continued his ridiculous start to the season with his 14th and 15th goals in league play against Levante.
Ronaldo scored on a penalty in the 13th minute even though Levante goalkeeper Diego Marino guessed the right way on the spot kick. The shot bounced off Marino's gloves and into the back of the net.
The Portuguese superstar added a second in the 61st minute when he weaved through a few defenders to beat Marino for Real Madrid's third goal.
He could've had a third late in the match, but Isco opted to shoot and score instead of passing to the Real Madrid No. 7.
With Ronaldo scoring at will right now, Real Madrid could be in good shape heading into El Clasico, especially if he notches another brace.
Loser: Juanfran
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Ronaldo was allowed to strike from the spot because Juanfran tackled Javier Hernandez in the 12th minute.
The Levante defender was irate with the decision by referee Ignacio Iglesias Villarreal, but the replay showed that he was at fault.
Overall, Juanfran didn't have a terrible game, but it was his mistake that let Real Madrid start the scoring early at the Estadi Ciutat de Valencia.
Winner: James Rodriguez
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James Rodriguez displayed two terrific bits of skill on two of the five Real Madrid goals.
In the 38th minute, the Colombian played a superb cross in from the right to find the head of Hernandez for the second Real Madrid goal.
On the fourth goal of the match, James made a terrific run to beat the offside trap to connect with a Toni Kross pass.
While Ronaldo may attract all the headlines for his performance, James is having himself quite the start to the season as well.
With the big match coming up against Barcelona, James could play a major role in deciding the victor if the Barcelona defense gravitates toward Ronaldo on a few occasions.
Loser: Levante's Attack
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Levante brought a dreadful attacking record into the match, and it did not change after 90 minutes at home against Real Madrid.
The hosts were shut out for the sixth time this season, and to make matters worse, their goal differential plummeted to minus-16 in the defeat.
There were some bright spots at points in the match thanks to Ruben Garcia, but the final touch in the attacking third escaped them all day.
In four home games this season, Levante have been outscored 14-0.
Winner/Loser: Diego Marino
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Diego Marino did concede five goals Saturday afternoon, but his efforts in goal prevented the result from being much worse.
Marino made six saves in net for Levante in his second league appearance of the season.
His biggest contribution came in the 55th minute, when he made successive saves on Ronaldo and Isco at a point in the match when his side were only down two goals.
Late in the match, Marino also denied Luka Modric from close range thanks to a terrific individual effort.
Winner: Luka Modric
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We all know how solid Luka Modric is in the middle of the pitch, but his best play of the match came on the defensive end.
In the 26th minute, Modric saved a shot from Victor Camarasa on the line with his foot.
Modric saved Iker Casillas, who was caught off guard by the shot, from danger to keep Levante off the scoresheet.
Modric also put in his regular work rate in attack, but he failed to score late in the match thanks to a big save by Marino.
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