Levante vs. Real Madrid: Score, Grades and Reaction from La Liga Game

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a double as Real Madrid thrashed Levante 5-0 at the Estadi Ciutat de Valencia on Saturday to move into second place in the La Liga standings.

Javier Hernandez scored his third Real goal in his first league start for Los Blancos, as the visitors went two goals ahead in the first half.

James Rodriguez and Isco also found the back of the net as Carlo Ancelotti's side registered a convincing win without ever really having to perform at their best.

After a slow start to the match, Real were awarded a suspect penalty after 13 minutes, per AS, and Ronaldo made it 1-0, forcing it past the 'keeper despite Diego Marino diving the right way:

Hernandez then doubled Real's lead seven minutes before the break, exhibiting his instinctive prowess as he found space between two defenders to head in from close range, per Kick TV:

It was a largely uneventful half of football but Madrid's superior quality was there for all to see and Levante rarely looked like pulling a goal back.

That trend continued after the break as Ronaldo bagged his second just after the hour, dinking past two Levante defenders before firing home and breaking a La Liga scoring record in the process, per Spanish football writer Dermot Corrigan:

Summer-signing Rodriguez then got in on the act five minutes later to make it 4-0, the Colombian taking a beautiful Toni Kroos ball on his chest before hitting it first time on the volley.

Isco then finished things off with a fine finish from the edge of the box in the final ten minutes, as Real completed the rout at a saunter.

Ancelotti's men now face a tough week with a visit to Anfield to face Liverpool in the Champions League on Wednesday before taking on Barcelona in the next round of La Liga fixtures.

They could not have asked for an easier run out ahead of those two crucial fixtures and—at least for now ahead of Sevilla and Valencia's Sunday games—they sit second in the Spanish top-flight.

Grades 

Cristiano Ronaldo: A

The Portuguese superstar has been in an irresistible vein of form so far this season and he provided once again with a double on Saturday.

Simply unplayable at times, his penalty was a whisker away from being saved but his second was yet another wonderful goal after a sumptuous run, per Bleacher Report UK:

Luka Modric: A-

As ever, the Croatian was metronomic with his passing and, along with Kroos, the midfield duo were giving Levante little chance to get on the ball, per Squawka:

He also showed terrific defensive skills to clear a header off the line from a corner early on, but he did miss a glorious chance in the second half before being substituted with a knock 10 minutes from time. 

Juanfran: C+

The Levante defender was really quite unfortunate to concede the first-half penalty for his tackle on Hernandez, his small touch on the ball going unnoticed by the referee.

However, Juanfran—along with the rest of the back line—had little luck stemming the flow of Real's defence and missed a tackle on Ronaldo as the visitor's went 3-0 up. 

Post-Match Reaction

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Corrigan provides Ancelotti's post-match comments in which the Italian praises his star man Ronaldo while explaining some of Real's fitness issues ahead of a tough week: