BARCELONA: Karim Benzema ensured Real Madrid kept the pressure on leader Barcelona in the Spanish league by scoring one goal and assisting on two more as bottom-side Getafe was defeated 5-1 on Saturday.
Benzema scored his 22nd of the competition before setting up Francisco “Isco” Alarcon and Gareth Bale to put the result beyond doubt early in the second half.
After James Rodriguez made it 4-1, Cristiano Ronaldo rounded off Madrid’s seventh consecutive league victory in stoppage time with his tournament-leading 31st goal.
Madrid, which this week advanced to a Champions League semifinal against Manchester City, provisionally passed Atletico Madrid into second place and moved to within one point of struggling leader Barcelona.
“We are doing our job and are getting closer and closer,” said Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane, whose team trailed Barcelona by 12 points just four rounds ago. “We are going to bed one point behind, but we can’t look beyond that.”
Barcelona will try to end a three-round winless run against Valencia on Sunday, when Atletico will host Granada. Diego Simeone’s side, which eliminated Barcelona from the Champions League quarterfinals this week to advance to a tie with Bayern Munich, trails Barcelona by three points. After this weekend there will be five rounds left.
“We have always said that we will never give up,” Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas said. “We have to win our remaining matches and then see what happens.”
Getafe remained winless for a 13th successive match in the debut of coach Juan Esnaider, a former Madrid player who replaced the fired Fran Escriba on Tuesday.
“We tried. I take away the attitude of my team,” Esnaider said.
Yet, despite Getafe’s best effort, Madrid outclassed its struggling crosstown rival.
Ronaldo, who hit a hat trick on Tuesday to lead Madrid’s comeback over Wolfsburg in the Champions League, struck the post early, and waves of attacks inevitably led to Benzema’s breakthrough when he used his right foot to sweep in Rodriguez’s cross.
He worked a one-two passing combination to help Isco make it 2-0 before halftime, and his pass let Bale romp forward before beating goalie Vicente Guaita in the 50th.
Pablo Sarabia got Getafe’s consolation goal with six minutes left before Rodriguez and Ronaldo struck.
Late Saturday, Celta Vigo hosted Real Betis, Real Sociedad visited Eibar, and Sporting Gijon was at Las Palmas.
Real Madrid beats Getafe 5-1 to keep pressure on Barca, Atletico
Real Madrid beats Getafe 5-1 to keep pressure on Barca, Atletico
Proud dad Zinedine Zidane watches Algeria beat Sudan 3-0
- Former Real Madrid legend Zidane watches his son Luca keep a clean sheet in the Algeria goal during the Africa Cup of Nations match in Rabat
- Riyad Mahrez scores twice for Algeria, one of the tournament favorites, who move top of Group E
RABAT, Morocco: France great Zinedine Zidane watched his goalkeeper son’s safe hands as Algeria started its Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a 3-0 win over 10-man Sudan on Wednesday.
Riyad Mahrez scored twice and the 20-year-old Ibrahim Maza scored his first international goal for Algeria, one of the tournament favorites, to move top of Group E.
“The most important thing was to start with a win,” Mahrez said. “The last two AFCONs, we didn’t start good. Today, we really wanted to make it happen and we did.”
Zidane, who was at the sweet-smelling Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat to see his son Luca Zidane playing in the Algeria goal, was feted by the crowd every time he was shown on the big screens.
Luca Zidane opted to represent his grandfather’s country after getting the Fennec Foxes’ invitation and he’s been given his chance to shine because of an injury to Alexandre Oukidja, who might have been expected to start otherwise.
Algeria wasted little time Wednesday with Mahrez sweeping in the opener in the second minute after unselfish play from Hicham Boudaoui to set him up.
Zidane was called into action shortly afterward to deny Yaser Awad on a break.
Sudan had to play all its qualification games away from home because of the near 1,000-day old civil war ravaging the country.
Though the Algerians looked confident and played with intensity, the big chances fell at the other end, with Zidane saving again from Awad before Abdel Raouf fired over.
Salah Adil was sent off just as the rain began to fall shortly before the break with his second yellow card for a foul on Rayan Aït-Nouri, who would have been through otherwise.
But the Algerian fans, who were in a majority, needed to be patient.
Mohammed Amoura produced a brilliant cross with the outside of his boot for Mahrez to score in the 61st, and Baghdad Bounedjah headed the ball into Maza’s path for the substitute to complete the scoring in the 85th.
Drama in Casablanca
Edmond Tapsoba completed a remarkable turnaround as Burkina Faso scored two goals in stoppage time to beat 10-man Equatorial Guinea 2-1 in the early Group E game.
Tapsoba’s team had pushed hard for the opening goal after Basilio Ndong was sent off early in the second half for a bad challenge on Bertrand Traoré’s ankle.
Marvin Anieboh then stunned the Stallions when he launched himself at Carlos Akapo’s cross to score with a looping header in the 85th minute.
Georgi Minoungou equalized in the fifth minute of stoppage time and Tapsoba headed the winner three minutes after that.
Later Wednesday in Group F, defending champion Ivory Coast began its title defense against Mozambique in Marrakech and five-time champion Cameroon opened against Gabon in the coastal city of Agadir.
