Real Madrid Earn 3-0 Win vs. Alaves Despite Resting Several Key Players

Real Madrid reclaimed a five-point cushion at the head of La Liga on Sunday after late goals from Isco and Nacho built on Karim Benzema's 31st-minute opener to secure a 3-0 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Kiko Casilla started his seventh league game of the season for Los Merengues as under-fire No. 1 Keylor Navas was rested following the international break, as were James Rodriguez, Sergio Ramos and Marcelo.

Raphael Varane's return from a hamstring injury was short-lived, however, after the centre-back appeared to suffer a repeat of that blow, meaning it's not all positives for manager Zinedine Zidane.

Alaves were structured and tough to break down for large portions of the fixture as Sky Sports presenter David Garrido concurred the hosts were somewhat flattered by late entries from Isco and Nacho:

Los Blancos made a promising start to the clash against their mid-table foes, although Varane's pull-up after just 11 minutes will have done its job in hauling the hosts back down to earth.

The Frenchman was replaced by right-back Dani Carvajal, meaning Nacho moved into the middle alongside Pepe while Danilo switched to left-back. ESPN FC reporter Dermot Corrigan provided an update on Varane's injury after receiving word from Real:

With possession flowing their favour, Los Merengues began to mount their charge on the Alaves goal, although the hosts needed half an hour before Benzema's well-taken sweep could finally nudge them ahead.

His neat interchange with substitute Carvajal down the right side of the Alaves area saw the hitman volley home on his left, in the process sealing a remarkable La Liga scoring achievement:

Spanish sport expert Andy West noted there was a hint of controversy to the strike, however, something that could have been clarified in a timely manner had video refereeing been available:

Cristiano Ronaldo remained one of Real's greatest threats on goal as forward partners Benzema and Gareth Bale also got in on the act, although Alaves did their part to ensure the deficit remained just one goal at the break despite enemy advances.

Alaves refused to relent, however, and Edgar Mendez was left red-faced when he wasted a begging opportunity to strike level early in the second half only to spurn his chance in front of Casilla's goal. Manu Garcia also came close to equalising but pinged his header just over the crossbar.

Yahoo's Andrew Gaffney highlighted how a crossing mentality was working wonders for the visiting team in its blueprint, although their attack was having little impact in making those shots count on the scoreboard:

Remarkably, Real had just one attempt at goal in the opening 30 minutes of the second period, per WhoScored.com, and the away side's five-man defence was doing its part to soak up any pressure.

Los Blancos finally postured up and found the sought-after second at game's end, when Isco followed up Bale's knock off the woodwork with a rocket into the roof of the net to double his side's lead, per Real Madrid TV presenter Phil Kitromilides:

No sooner were Alaves reeling from conceding that 85th-minute disappointment before seeing Nacho compound their worries with a third just minutes later. 

The defender grabbed his first of the season after Bale's thunderbolt of a free-kick ricocheted off the Alaves crossbar and into his path for an easy finish, and Sky Sports Statto noted yet another Real landmark:

Barcelona can again close the gap on Real down to two points when they travel to Granada later on Sunday evening, but Los Blancos will revel in the knowledge they've done all they can to establish their lead thus far.

Alaves, on the other hand, will attempt to get their victorious streak back on track when they welcome basement outfit Osasuna to Basque country on Wednesday.

Post-Match Reaction

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Were it not for two goals in the dying embers of a tough fixture for Los Blancos, Zidane could have been looking at a very different post-match press conference on Sunday, but Alaves also paid the price for their wastefulness in front of goal.

And Zidane was in agreement that the scoreline perhaps did not reflect accurately upon the visiting team's performance at the Bernabeu, per Corrigan:

While Los Merengues might have scored the majority of their goals in the second half, Zidane also acknowledged it was the opening 45 minutes in which his team displayed their best football, per Corrigan:

As for the fallout of the match, the Frenchman explained that compatriot Varane sustained a similar hamstring injury to the one that sidelined him for five league games, albeit "not as bad" as last time, per Corrigan.

When quizzed on goalscorer Isco, who has been linked with a Real Madrid exit, Zidane said, per Corrigan, "what he wants is to play here" but again made note he has 24 players in his squad, all of whom want to play as much as possible.