Real Madrid vs. Getafe: Winners and Losers from La Liga
Real Madrid recorded an easy 4-1 victory over Getafe at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, closing the gap—at least temporarily—to the top of La Liga.
A fast start was rewarded by a Karim Benzema brace in the opening 16 minutes, scoring twice from inside the box.
Cristiano Ronaldo then took centre stage for the remainder of the first half as he knocked down a cross to assist Gareth Bale and then scored himself on the counter to make the scoreline 4-0 at half-time.
The second half was far more low-key, and only an Alexis header from a corner added to the scoresheet—a consolation for Getafe and an annoyance for Real Madrid at losing their clean sheet.
Here are the biggest winners and losers from the match.
Winner: Karim Benzema
1 of 5
Karim Benzema would have been looking to put some fitness issues and off-field concerns behind him and certainly did that against Getafe, starting with two goals inside the opening quarter of an hour.
The French forward looked sharp and committed, always on the shoulder of the Getafe defence and ready to run in behind to open the pitch and create spaces for the other attackers to work in.
Benzema was more quiet in the second half as Real's tempo slowed, but his importance to the attack was once again very much in evidence.
Loser: Getafe's Defence and Lack of Organisation
2 of 5
Alexis might have gotten himself on the scoresheet, but it was academic by then as he and his team-mates had already proved a shambles at the other end.
A fast start from Real Madrid was tough to deal with and the goals were well-taken, but the build-up for each was certainly preventable if Getafe had been more aggressive in closing down attacking midfielders and more organised on defence.
None really covered themselves in glory, and they'll have to improve significantly to not get drawn into a relegation battle all season long.
Winner: Cristiano Ronaldo
3 of 5
Cristiano Ronaldo took a bit of criticism on social media for not celebrating Karim Benzema's goals, especially the second where he was instead remonstrating with the referee for not giving a penalty, but he soon started showing the better side of his game.
The No. 7 showed good awareness to provide the knock-down for Bale's goal, then his trademark acceleration, power and finishing ability for the strike of his own. Ronaldo's movement was better in this match than it has been recently, drifting from the left and at times standing centrally, and his impact on the first half was important.
His goal rate remains impressive, and he certainly looked happier during most of the game with the freedom of movement he had. Ronaldo ended the game as captain after Pepe was subbed off late on.
Losers: Nacho and Pepe
4 of 5
With Real Madrid struggling for numbers defensively, a very makeshift back line saw Lucas Vazquez at right-back, Danilo on the left and a central partnership of Nacho and Pepe.
The two in the middle had a chance then to stake their claim for a more regular place once Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos are back fit—but despite having a low-key game where Getafe rarely looked to attack, they couldn't help keep a clean sheet and both made individual errors in the 90 minutes.
Alexis got between both off a corner to head in Getafe's goal, as Nacho missed an important tackle down the left channel and Pepe generally looked a level below his best, a testament perhaps to his age as well as no longer featuring regularly.
Winner: Lucas Vazquez
5 of 5
While the two in the middle didn't shine, the same cannot be said for makeshift right-back Lucas Vazquez.
His work rate, attitude and end product has impressed Rafa Benitez enough to view Vazquez as an important squad member, coming in to fill a variety of positions both as substitute and starter depending on the match and situation.
He wasn't hugely tested defensively—just running back to cover a few times—but going forward, he overlapped well, was industrious in making use of the space and again put in enough of a shift to justify his position on the pitch.
