First Division - Day 19

Real Madrid 5 - Deportivo 0

Madrid: Keylor Navas; Dani Carvajal, Pepe, Sergio Ramos (Varane 46’), Marcelo; Modric, Kroos; Bale (Jesé 74’), Isco (James 66’), Ronaldo; Benzema. 4-2-3-1.
Deportivo: Lux; Juanfran, Arribas, Sidnei, Fernando Navarro (Luisinho 66’); Alex Bergantiños, Mosquera; Fede Cartabia (Jonás Gutiérrez 46‘), Luis Alberto, Fayçal Fajr (Oriol Riera 66‘); Lucas Pérez. 4-2-3-1.

Goals:
1-0. 15. Benzema. Deflected Ramos shot past keeper with heel after corner.
2-0. 22. Bale. Steered header down past keeper from Dani Carvajal centre.
3-0. 49. Bale. Drove low shot inside near post after Cristiano crossed in.
4-0. 63. Bale. Near post header over and across Lux from Kroos corner.
5-0. 91. Benzema. Latched on to loose ball and fired shot in off crossbar.

Yellow cards: Lux 15’, Mosquera 64’, Arribas 70’.

Real Madrid moved to within a point of city rivals Atlético Madrid pending their game on Sunday after a 5-0 victory over Deportivo on Saturday evening. Former B team coach Zinedine Zidane was in charge of the Merengues for the first time after Rafa Benítez was sacked earlier in the week, and both the crowd and the players gave him their full support. With only a quarter of the game gone Madrid were already two up, Benzema deflecting a Sergio Ramos shot into the net with his heel, and Bale heading a Dani Carvajal cross down past Lux. Navas had to save from Fede Cartabia and Lucas Pérez shot wide a couple of times, but Ronaldo headed against the post, and some four minutes in to the second half Bale connected with Ronaldo’s centre to make it three. A few minutes later the Welsh wizzard completed his hat-trick with a looping header from a Kroos corner, and Benzema completed the scoring with a first time shot in off the crossbar with the game already in injury time.