Cristiano Ronaldo Scores as Real Madrid Win La Liga After Victory over Malaga

Real Madrid won 2017's La Liga title after winning 2-0 in Malaga on Sunday to finish three points ahead of bitter rivals Barcelona. Cristiano Ronaldo's 40th club goal of the season, along with a tap-in from Karim Benzema in the second half, wrapped up a first title since 2012 for Los Blancos at La Rosaleda Stadium.

Real had arrived in Malaga only needing to avoid defeat to earn the title, but Ronaldo had put them ahead in less than two minutes to ease the nerves and give manager Zinedine Zidane's men a lead to protect.

Zidane kept Isco in the starting XI ahead of Gareth Bale, while Danilo continued at right-back in Dani Carvajal's absence, per La Liga's official Twitter account:

Eager to seal the title quickly, Real went in front after just two minutes when Isco and Ronaldo combined superbly in the final third. It was former Malaga man Isco who threaded a precise pass for Ronaldo to race clear to meet and lift the ball suavely over goalkeeper Carlos Kameni.

Another goal meant Ronaldo maintained a terrific scoring run for the past seven seasons, per Sky Sports Statto:

In the process, Ronaldo also made sure Los Blancos earned a piece of club history in the Spanish top flight, according to OptaJose:

Kameni was beaten early, but he subsequently kept Real in it with a string of splendid saves, notably from Ronaldo and Toni Kroos. At the other end, Malaga's main threat was carried by former Barcelona striker Sandro Ramirez, whose set-piece deliveries caused Los Merengues more than a few problems.

Real stayed strong at the back until the break, though, and were two up on 55 minutes when Benzema turned in from close range. Kameni had made a stunning save to deny Sergio Ramos, but the ball rebounded off Raphael Varane and fell invitingly into Benzema's path.

The Frenchman has made a habit of scoring against Malaga during his time in La Liga:

With the game now looking beyond Malaga, Sandro left the pitch on 69 minutes to be replaced by Charles. The ex-Barca man had been lively all day, and ESPN's Dermot Corrigan noted how the striker will offer value in the transfer window:

Yet even without Sandro, Malaga twice went close as the match approached its final 10 minutes. First, Mikel Villanueva forced Keylor Navas into a good save, before Ignacio Camacho powered a header just over.

Navas was brilliant again to save from Chory Castro on the stroke of stoppage time.

Real saw off the pressure to protect their clean sheet and secure a worthy title win with room to spare.

Post-Match Reaction

Zidane applauded the achievement, suggesting winning the title in Spain is tougher than in other countries, per ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan:

The Frenchman also deflected attention away from Juventus, Real's opponents in the upcoming UEFA Champions League final:

Zidane won numerous trophies as a player, both at club and international level, but he identified winning the league as manager as his crowning achievement:

It's a remarkable achievement from a man who won the Champions League last season after taking over from Rafa Benitez midway through the campaign. Now Los Merengues and Zidane can focus on retaining the Champions League trophy when they meet Juventus in Cardiff for the final on Saturday, June 3.