Cristiano Ronaldo Scores Game-Winning Goal for Real Madrid in Match vs. Malaga

Real Madrid cut the gap between themselves and Barcelona at the top of La Liga to seven points after beating relegation-threatened Malaga 3-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.

Cristiano Ronaldo converted a rebound from his own missed penalty deep into the second half to win it for Los Blancos after substitute Luka Modric had been felled in the box. Karim Benzema and Casemiro also scored for Real, who were pegged back twice by Diego Rolan and Chory Castro.

Los Merengues stay third but have closed the gap ahead of the Blaugrana's match away to second-placed Valencia on Sunday. Meanwhile, Malaga remain mired in the bottom three despite a solid performance at the home of the champions.

Kiko Casilla continued in goal ahead of Keylor Navas, while Lucas Vazquez and Benzema partnered Ronaldo in attack:

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 #RMLiga
This is our starting XI against @MalagaCF_en ¡VAMOS!#RMMovistar | #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/lGpOMGFLoD

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) November 25, 2017"

It took the reigning champions just nine minutes to go in front, courtesy of Benzema. The Frenchman headed into an empty net from close range thanks to Ronaldo's clever pull-back.

The visitors weren't deterred, though, and found an equaliser nine minutes later when Rolan slotted home after Real midfielder Toni Kroos lost his bearings at the back.

Malaga's joy lasted barely 180 seconds before Casemiro got his head to a corner and restored Los Merengues' lead. Kroos made amends for his earlier gaffe by expertly lifting the corner into the box to create the goal.

Defensive-minded holding player Casemiro has found his scoring touch this season and is showing up some of the big-name attackers in the squad, per The Spanish Football Podcast:

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Casemiro now has as many league goals as Ronaldo and Benzema combined. (3)

— The Spanish Football Podcast (@tsf_podcast) November 25, 2017"

Benzema should have made it 3-1 on the half-hour mark after he was played in by Isco, but the striker inexplicably got caught in two minds between shooting and passing, and the chance came and went.

Malaga were able to keep the game close for the remainder of the opening half and were even able to pose a consistent threat of their own. ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan identified where the visitors were finding joy:

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Malaga getting loads of joy down their right wing, left of mid 3 Kroos looking particularly bad - but mostly as he's covering about three players himself.

— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) November 25, 2017"

Malaga even had the ball in the net when substitute Paul Baysse headed past Casilla. However, the referee somewhat contentiously ruled it out for a push.

The away side would have felt justice was served 13 minutes after the restart when Castro fired in a stunning equaliser from distance.

Sensing the chance for a winner, Malaga brought striker Borja Baston off the bench. Real also made a change, swapping out Isco for playmaker Modric.

fotopress/Getty Images

The hosts should have been back in front on 63 minutes, but it was Ronaldo who uncharacteristically fluffed his lines from close range.

The referee was involved again 15 minutes from time when Modric was awarded a penalty after a tangle in the box involving Luis Hernandez. Ronaldo stepped up and put the spot-kick away at the second attempt.

Real weren't comfortable despite the goal, with Malaga right-back Roberto Rosales going close to another equaliser soon after the restart. Andrew Gaffney of Yahoo Sport UK pointed out how the champions were still failing to impress:

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The result is the most important thing here but Real Madrid have been made to look very ordinary (again) by a side near the bottom of the table.

— Andrew Gaffney (@GaffneyVLC) November 25, 2017"

Ronaldo thought he had completed a brace late on, only to see his finish ruled out by the linesman's offside flag. The decision seemed incorrect, but Real still did enough to preserve the win.

While the three points are welcome, manager Zinedine Zidane will know improvement is needed if his side are going to catch Barca in the title race.