Real Madrid vs. Getafe: Score and Reaction from 2015 La Liga Match

Real Madrid thrashed Getafe 4-1 in La Liga at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday to slightly ease their Copa del Rey woes and keep pace with league leaders Barcelona.

Karim Benzema's brace and goals from Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo gave the hosts a commanding lead at half-time.

Real were unable to build on their outstanding first-half performance with more goals as they struggled to replicate their earlier fluency, while Alexis pulled back a consolation for the visitors.

The hosts flew out of the traps as Benzema put Los Blancos ahead inside five minutes, volleying home from close range after Pepe whipped in an excellent cross on the overlap down the right flank.

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Real continued to pour forward. Cristiano Ronaldo forced a good save from Vicente Guaita with a free-kick, and the stopper was called into action soon after when Benzema powered a header at goal.

The Frenchman did not have to wait long for his brace, though, as he worked some space in the penalty area before tucking the ball into the bottom-left corner. Ronaldo, who was held by a defender in the build-up, did not share his team-mate's elation at the strike, according to football journalist Dermot Corrigan:

Benzema had good reason to be pleased, though, as Corrigan further reveals:

Getafe eventually calmed down after being rattled so early on and pushed forward themselves as Damian Suarez and Angel Lafita sent efforts over the crossbar from distance, while Pablo Sarabia got his effort on target but saw it dealt with comfortably by Keylor Navas.

Real regathered control of the game in short order and had their third of the half after 35 minutes, with Ronaldo expertly knocking the ball down for Bale, who shifted the ball onto his left foot and neatly found the far corner with a low strike.

Football writer Ben Hayward praised the Welshman not only for his great technique, but his improving form as well:

A rapid counter-attack just three minutes later paid further dividends as Benzema picked out Ronaldo with a fantastically weighted through ball, and the superstar made little mistake in finishing the move off.

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Squawka Football shared the half-time stats:

Benzema sent a curling effort just wide of the post shortly after the break, but otherwise, Real were largely content to keep the ball rather than push forward in search of more goals. When they did, their final ball often let them down—much to the dismay of the Madridistas:

The crowd were further disappointed when Alexis rose to direct a lovely header past Navas from a Pedro Leon corner.

Alexis' goal lifted Getafe, but there was little hint it would spark a genuine comeback as Real largely remained untroubled save for another excellent Leon cross.

The result is exactly the kind Los Blancos needed after their humiliating dismissal from the Copa del Rey, per BBC, but it will do little to appease their fans in search of a perfect performance—the kind they suffered at the hands of Barcelona in El Clasico.

Up next for them are Malmo in the UEFA Champions League, so they will have a strong opportunity to prove they are capable of sustaining an attacking performance throughout the course of 90 minutes—and they need to take it.

Post-Match Reaction

Per Corrigan, Real manager Rafa Benitez expressed his delight at the first-half performance: "We played 45 very good minutes. At 4-0 up they managed the game, we dropped intensity a bit as the work was done. Team very focused from the start. They knew what they had to do. The football side was key for us—to get the three points."

He added:

Meanwhile, according to Corrigan, Getafe coach Fran Escriba said: "It is impossible to win any stadium if you're not intense and aggressive from start. I was pretty angry at first goal. We took a risk playing an attacking, brave side, but we ended up not doing anything with or without the ball [in first half]."