Real Madrid vs. Real Betis: Winners and Losers from La Liga
Real Madrid cruised to a 5-0 victory over Real Betis at the Bernabeu on Saturday to earn their first league victory of the season.
James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale were the standout stars for Rafa Benitez's side, as both superstars bagged a brace and picked up an assist each in the blowout victory. Karim Benzema also contributed a goal in the win.
On top of the impressive attacking performances, Keylor Navas and the back four treated the home fans with solid play, as Real Madrid earned their first clean sheet of the season.
Here's a look at the winners and losers from Real Madrid's win over Real Betis.
Winner: James Rodriguez
1 of 5
James Rodriguez was on fire from the start of the match in Real Madrid's blowout win in front of the home fans at the Bernabeu.
The Colombian contributed to the first goal as he played a stellar cross onto the head of Gareth Bale. As wonderful as his second-minute assist was, Rodriguez bested his own efforts throughout the match.
In the 39th minute, he struck a beautiful free-kick off the left post and into the back of the net. On Real Madrid's second goal of the second half, he delivered a brilliant overhead that sealed his club's first victory of the season.
Although there are plenty of stars in the Real Madrid lineup, Rodriguez shined the brightest alongside Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Loser: Ruben Castro
2 of 5
Real Betis had a chance to pull a goal back in the 61st minute, but Keylor Navas denied Ruben Castro from the spot.
Although scoring while being down four goals may not have made a massive difference in the final result, it would have handed Real Betis a small bit of confidence entering the international break.
The penalty was Castro's best chance to score, but he also had a legitimate penalty shout in the first half as he made contact with Marcelo in the box. The referee did not make the call, but others likely would have given it.
Instead of heading into September with a good amount of confidence leading the line for a promoted side, Castro enters the international break off a bad match.
Winner: Gareth Bale
3 of 5
The second match of the season may not be a pressure-packed scenario for many players, but Gareth Bale needed to show off his talents in front of the picky home crowd at the Bernabeu.
He made a statement in the second minute when he connected with Rodriguez's cross from the right wing. Bale then closed out the scoring with a brilliant individual effort that found the bottom-left corner of the net.
On top of his pair of goals, Bale surged into the attacking spotlight at the club thanks to the inefficiency of Cristiano Ronaldo in front of goal.
While Ronaldo will eventually strike the back of the net sooner rather than later, it is nice for Bale to get in the headlines first instead of being outperformed by and compared to Ronaldo from the start of the season.
Loser: Antonio Adan
4 of 5
Antonio Adan's return to Real Madrid was far from perfect, as he let five goals fly past him during his side's first defeat of the season.
Adan looked like he would recover from conceding early in the match, but there was nothing he could do against the superstars in the Real Madrid attack as the match went on.
The former Real Madrid youth product did make five saves, but he was undone by the spectacular goals netted by the likes of James, Bale and Karim Benzema.
Just like the situation with Castro, Adan was unable to gain any confidence heading into the international break, which is key for a promoted side. With difficult matches ahead against Real Sociedad, Valencia and Deportivo La Coruna, Adan and his teammates could be in for a rough ride before the schedule gets easier.
Winner: Danilo
5 of 5
The Real Madrid defense won't get a ton of focus after the match, but Danilo deserves credit for being an integral part of the attack.
The 24-year-old played a constant role in surging forward on the right wing and combined well with Rodriguez and Benzema.
On the defensive side of the pitch, Danilo limited left wing Juan Vargas to two key passes and zero shots, per WhoScored.com.
Although we have to take his performance with a grain of salt since it was against one of the bottom-tier sides in La Liga, Danilo did make a good impression in front of the home crowd. His performance will also help his stock as the battle for starting spots at full-back intensifies.
