Eibar vs. Real Madrid: Score and Reaction from 2017 La Liga Match

Real Madrid temporarily leapfrogged rivals Barcelona at the top of the La Liga table on Saturday courtesy of a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Eibar at the Ipurua Municipal Stadium.

Karim Benzema got Zinedine Zidane's side off to a dream start with two goals inside 25 minutes, before James Rodriguez gave Real breathing space with a well-taken strike just before the half-hour mark.

Marco Asensio added gloss to the scoreline in the second half with a smart finish from a tight angle, although Ruben Pena did net a consolation for the home side with 18 minutes left on the clock.

Real Madrid came into Saturday's clash with Eibar looking to bounce back from a series of shaky performances, but with the hosts in impressive recent form, it didn't look like being an easy day at the office.

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However, Zidane and Co. had other plans and laid siege to the Eibar goal straight from the off. Lucas Vazquez, Rodriguez and Benzema were causing endless problems for the home defence, and it wasn't long before the latter broke the deadlock.

Asensio sent a dangerous low cross into the Eibar box that was met by Benzema at the far post, and although Yoel Rodriguez saved the Frenchman's initial effort, he was on hand to convert at the second time of asking.

Benzema has been going through something of a barren spell of late—failing to score in his past seven games, according to OptaJose—but he showed his predatory instinct in the 14th minute.

It was very much a case of London buses shortly afterwards for Benzema—you wait for a long time for one and two come along at once.

On the 25-minute mark, the Frenchman doubled his lead after profiting from another piece of questionable goalkeeping from the Eibar stopper.

Rodriguez's pinpoint cross was allowed to sail all the way through to Benzema just five yards from goal, and he happily accepted the invitation to prod the ball home.

Journalist Sid Lowe commented on the fortuitous nature of Benzema and Real Madrid doubling their tally:

Despite their dominance, Zidane's men were far from satisfied with their two-goal cushion and continued to press looking for a third.

Benzema was at the heart of everything positive for the visitors going forward, and it was far from surprising to see him heavily involved in their third goal.

The Frenchman swung in a beautiful cross from the right wing in the corridor of uncertainly between defensive line and goalkeeper, leaving Rodriguez with the simple task of tapping home.

It was a well-taken strike from the Colombian, but the cross from Benzema was just begging for the finish.

After half-time, it was more of the same from Madrid, who continued to pile the pressure on Eibar.

Rodriguez and Benzema were once again pulling the strings, with the former looking back to his very best.

Once again, the Colombian played a massive part in Real's fourth, as his effort rebounded off the post back to Asensio to turn home from the angle.

Despite having an open goal to aim at, Asensio did brilliantly to turn the ball home while off balance and moving away from the net. It marked his eighth goal of the season, and journalist Phil Kitromilides commented on just how impressive a return that is:

Eibar did manage to pull a goal back from Pena, but it was too little, too late for the hosts. Pedro Leon's cross was converted home by Pena at the back post, although there was little in the way of celebration.

Real Madrid closed out the match comfortably and now find themselves top of the La Liga table and temporarily two points ahead of rivals Barcelona.

More importantly, however, the three points represents an impressive return to form for Zidane's side, who'll need to be on top of their game next time out in their Champions League clash with Napoli on Tuesday.

Reaction

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Following the match, Zidane praised his side's performance by saying they stuck to their task well against an in-form team, via Real Madrid's official website:

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We've produced a fantastic reaction and started the game very strongly, scoring three goals in half an hour. It was a difficult place to go and we knew they'd put us under real pressure. We played a disciplined game, with respect for our opponents and I'm happy with everyone's performance. We brought a few players in who haven't played so much recently and they did a great job. I'm pleased with our reaction and the way we played the game. They could have hurt us from set pieces but we showed great concentration and I'm happy with how we've responded.

"