Getafe vs. Real Madrid: Winners and Losers from La Liga
Real Madrid moved to within a point of leaders Barcelona and consigned relegation-threatened Getafe to another defeat with a 5-1 result on Saturday in La Liga.
A fast start saw Real take control, with Karim Benzema and Isco both netting before the break and Gareth Bale adding another shortly after. The game was over by then, and little of note happened until the final 10 minutes, when Pablo Sarabia scored a fantastic consolation for Getafe, which woke Madrid back up and saw James Rodriguez and Cristiano Ronaldo both net late on.
Here are all our biggest winners and losers from the game.
Winner: James Rodriguez
1 of 5
He didn't get to start in the Champions League in midweek, but James Rodriguez has shown good signs of improvement in the last two Liga matches and impressed in the first half again here.
His quick footwork and incisive passes saw Getafe opened up on numerous occasions in the opening stages, and it was James' fine lofted ball that found Benzema in space for the opener.
It will have done the Colombian good to get the full 90 minutes of action in, and his skill on the ball and composure was in evidence for his own strike late on, too.
Loser: Juan Esnaider
2 of 5
The new Getafe boss can be under no illusions as to how difficult this job will be, trying to keep the side up with now just five games to go.
Having sunk to the bottom of the table before kick-off due to Levante's win on Friday night, Getafe showed very little fight or spirit after the opening goal went in. Losing Alvaro Pereira early on to injury didn't help, but the Argentinian manager won't have seen much to impress him for the hour or so of play thereafter.
Getafe need wins, fast.
Winner: Gareth Bale
3 of 5
Seeing his game time managed of late by Zinedine Zidane, Gareth Bale will be pleased to have had a big impact on the match and the result despite only playing 55 minutes or so.
He was a threat on the counter in the first half and exploited the weakness of Getafe having Karim Yoda at left-back, racing in behind him and putting crosses or passes into the box with regularity. Bale also scored just after the restart with a composed finish.
No injury problems at present, two trophies to fight for and a fantastic scoring record this season when he is on the pitch, this year could yet end up as a very memorable one for Bale despite his injury worries earlier in the campaign.
Loser: Toni Kroos
4 of 5
On a really poor run of form of late, Zidane placed Toni Kroos back in the holding midfield role for this game, and he didn't really impress in either half.
When Real were on the offensive, Kroos couldn't impact play in the first 45 minutes to exploit gaps or find team-mates with passes from deep. Then after the break, when Real defended more often, he was bypassed easily and never really protected his defence or won the ball often enough.
He has to be a consideration for Zidane to swap out of the Champions League XI at this point.
Winner: Pablo Sarabia
5 of 5
With Don Balon (h/t Mark Brus of Metro) reporting Arsenal scouts—among others—have been watching him recently, Pablo Sarabia is one of a handful of Getafe players who can cut it in La Liga or elsewhere at a better club.
The skilful attacking midfielder served notice of his talents in the second half, with Real Madrid sitting back more and affording Getafe time and space to play in. Sarabia made the most of it with a few runs and through passes into the box as well as a cracking goal of his own late in the game.
It mattered little for the result but might help secure him a move away from a poor club at the end of the year.
