Real Madrid score five to keep pressure on leaders

Real Madrid swept aside Getafe tp put the pressure on FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid as they climbed into second place with 75 points in the Liga BBVA. Leaders Barça, with 76 points, and Atletico with 73, play against Valencia and Granada respectively on Sunday. Getafe remain rooted to the foot of the standings. 

Benzema's 22nd goal 

Real Madrid started brightly at the Coliseum pressing the hosts back into their area. Cristiano Ronaldo fired against the post early on but the pressure finally paid off. James Rodriguez curled in a left-footed cross from the right flank and Karim Benzema beat the offside trap in the 29th minute. Unmarked and from close range, he turned the ball in to move on to 22 goals for the season, his best league tally with Real Madrid since joining in 2009.

This is the moment @Benzema opened the scoring against Getafe. | Getafe 0-1 Real Madrid#RMLiga #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/FmLkjSJHhJ

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) April 16, 2016

Isco

Five minutes before the break, Isco picked up the ball on the halfway line and arrowed towards the area. He played a one-two with Benzema on the edge of the area, then curled in a shot with the outside of his boot to double Madrid’s lead. It was his third goal of the season and Benzema’s fourth assist.

A personal best for Bale

The second half was only five minutes old when Gareth Bale galloped away on a counter-attack, surged into the area and fired low into the corner for Madrid’s third. It was a new personal best for the Welshman in LaLiga as he moved on to 16 goals for the campaign.

Sarabia pulls one back

Argentine Juan Esnaider was making his debut in the Getafe dugout after the club parted company with Fran Escriba last week following a run of 10 defeats and two draws stretching back to mid-January, but it was a painful day against a team he used to play for. Pablo Sarabia stung Keylor Navas’s fingers midway through the second half and finally cut the deficit with a long-range effort that flew inside the far post in the 83rd.

Late flurry

Real Madrid substitute Lucas Vazquez crossed low into the area for James Rodriguez in the 88th minute and the Colombian showed great composure. He dummied past one defender and slipped the ball into the corner for his seventh goal this season. Then in the final minute, substitute Jese broke the offside trap and then laid it off for Ronaldo to tap into the empty net for his 31st goal of the league campaign.