Real Madrid vs. Granada: Score and Reaction from 2017 La Liga Match
Real Madrid moved six points clear at the top of La Liga on Saturday and equalled a Spanish record in the process, as they hammered Granada 5-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
A brace from Isco sandwiched strikes from Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo in a devastating 19-minute spell, giving Madrid a 4-0 lead at the break. Casemiro added a fifth after half-time, before Madrid shut the game down in the last half an hour.
The result means Zinedine Zidane’s side have now gone 39 games without defeat in all competitions, equalling the Spanish record that Barcelona set between 2015 and 2016.
Ahead of the game, Madrid talisman Cristiano Ronaldo was presented with his Ballon d’Or award, with Luis Figo, Ronaldo, Michael Owen and Zidane himself alongside the Portuguese, per Kieran Canning of Agence France-Presse:
When the action started, the match slipped into an expected pattern, with Madrid pinning back their opponents for long spells. In the 12th minute, they turned their dominance into something tangible.
Isco robbed Sergi Samper in midfield, with Toni Kroos then moving the ball to Benzema. The Frenchman then picked out Isco’s forward run perfectly, and the 24-year-old finished powerfully under Guillermo Ochoa.
Nine minutes later, Real doubled their advantage. With Granada so deep in their own half, Luka Modric had time to shoot from distance, and when Ochoa parried his shot, Benzema was on hand to convert a simple finish.
Per Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC, the goal had been a long time coming for the Frenchman:
Goals were there to be had for Madrid's attackers, and it was no surprise when Ronaldo got himself on the scoresheet before the half-hour mark.
Ronaldo was perfectly positioned to capitalise after brilliant work from Marcelo on the left flank, nodding home his cross from close range. Just minutes later, a shellshocked Ochoa was picking the ball out of the back of the net for a fourth time, as Isco scored his second of the day, turning in Modric’s centre.
Per WhoScored.com, the midfielder was helping himself at what was turning into a buffet of goals for the hosts:
After the fourth, Los Blancos laid off Granada until half-time, and after the break, the introduction of James Rodriguez and Marco Asensio went some way to sapping Madrid’s rhythm. However, in the 58th minute, they netted again.
The fifth goal came from an unlikely scorer, as Casemiro snuck in at the back post to bundle home Rodriguez’s menacing free-kick.
Per Phil Kitromilides of Real Madrid TV, his finish was a testament to the firepower throughout the squad:
That goal was the trigger for another change for Madrid, as Zidane withdrew the excellent Marcelo to give Fabio Coentrao a runout.
In the final stages of the match, Madrid continued to dominate, although there wasn't the same insatiable edge to their play with the game won. That slight drop in standards prevented Granada from avoiding an absolute beating; Real thrashed them 9-1 in May 2015 at the Bernabeu.
Madrid continue to impress in La Liga, and with Barcelona facing a difficult trip to face Villarreal at El Madrigal on Sunday, the pressure has been shifted back onto the Catalan club in the race for the La Liga crown.
Although Madrid accomplished plenty under Zidane in 2016, the club will be desperate for La Liga glory this year, with their title triumph at the end of the 2011-12 season their only league championship success since 2008. At the moment, Los Blancos look well on course for an overdue finish at the top of the pile.
Reaction to follow...
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