Cristiano Ronaldo Brace Leads Real Madrid Past Valencia 4-1 in La Liga

Cristiano Ronaldo converted two penalties as Real Madrid beat Valencia 4-1 in La Liga at the Estadio Mestalla on Saturday.

Ronaldo scored both goals in the first half, taking full advantage of two major mistakes by Martin Montoya. Santi Mina pulled one back with a header after the break, but Marcelo restored the two-goal advantage, and Toni Kroos put the final score on the board.

Here's a look at the two teams:

Valencia took a cautious approach to start the match, and Neto had to make a first important stop after just seven minutes as Gareth Bale almost took advantage of some poor communication between Neto and Ezequiel Garay. On the other side of the pitch, Rodrigo's shot cleared the crossbar.

Los Che more than held their own against the visitors, but a swift counter after 15 minutes undid all their hard work. Marcelo and Karim Benzema beautifully combined to play in Ronaldo, and Montoya made a dreadful challenge, giving away the penalty. The Ballon d'Or winner easily converted.

Per Robbie Dunne of AS English, Montoya didn't have a case with the official:

The former Barcelona man tried to make up for his error on the other end, but Rodrigo couldn't convert after he was set up. Geoffrey Kondogbia also got involved, but Keylor Navas dealt with his shot well.

Neto got down quickly to deny Ronaldo, who perhaps should have done better after a good pass from Kroos, and Kodogbia couldn't make good contact after a corner was worked back to him.

Valencia once again found some momentum, but once again, it all came undone because of a mistake by Montoya, per football writer Dermot Corrigan:

Ronaldo went the other way this time around, doubling his tally and Real's lead.

Dani Parejo wanted a penalty for his team after some minimal contact with Casemiro, and Goncalo Guedes went close with a late drive, but the score remained unchanged heading into half-time.

Valencia made a bright start to the second half, but the first good chance fell to Los Blancos, with Benzema putting the ball in the side netting. Los Che didn't let up, however, and got a goal back through Mina, who powered home an excellent header.

Per football writer Karl Matchett, he was the last player probably expected to score such a goal:

Valencia pushed their advantage and nearly tied things up after 66 minutes through Parejo, who watched as Navas pulled off an incredible save to keep out his effort. Neto also showed his talent, denying Ronaldo a hat-trick with some help from Montoya.

Los Che's momentum disappeared as the match wore on, and Real started to close ranks in an attempt to preserve their lead. Ronaldo had another chance to complete his hat-trick, but he fired over with a free kick from a promising position.

Marcelo secured the three points with minutes to play, combining with Marco Asensio before beating Neto with a smart finish. The Brazilian also played a key role in another late goal, with Kroos finishing a swift attack to put the final score on the board.

Real's next outing will be at Levante, while Valencia will visit Barcelona in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals.