Betis 2 - 3 Real Madrid (Spanish League Day 27)

Real Madrid earned a record tenth straight victory on the road in La Liga by defeating Betis 3-2 tonight with goals by Ronaldo (2) and Higuain. The Whites suffered and were forced to turn the score around.

Ramos hugs Mourinho after a very difficult match

Pepe made the lineup after being suspended in last week's match. Ozil, Kaka, Ronaldo and Higuain led the attack, but the locals put pressure up front and soon scored the opener through Jorge Molina.

Both teams played an offensive game and reached each other's boxes frequently , with Higuain netting the equaliser after receiving a fantastic long pass from Ozil (24’). Betis started to play a more defensive game and the Whites begand to dominate the encounter. Higuain and Ronaldo had two great chances to take the lead but the score was still drawn by half-time.

Referee Iturralde Gonzalez injured himself in the first half and was replaced by his fourth assistant after half-time. Both teams tried hard for a goal and Madrid took the lead through Ronaldo, whose shot following a Marcelo pass bounced off the ground and defeated the keeper (52'). Betis reacted quickly and Jefferson Montero netted an equaliser two minutes later, forcing Mourinho's men to make a comeback.

Marcelo nearly scored the winner on the 60-minute mark, but his shot was cleared by the keeper. The match became very intense with both sides looking to score a third, and a Ramos header from a corner-kick was saved by the goalie only to land at Ronaldo's feet, who netted the winner for the Whites (72').

Real had more possession from then on, but both sides kind of deflated due to the great effort they had made throughout the encounter. Granero and Callejon came on for Kaka and Higuain, and Cristiano had another chance to score but Fabricio cleared the shot once again. Benzema came on for Ozil in the final minutes and nothing much followed.

Summary

Stadium: Benito Villamarin
Attendance: 37,500
Goals: 1-0, M.10: Jorge Molina. 1-1, M.24: Higuaín. 1-2, M.52: Cristiano Ronaldo. 2-2, M.54: Jefferson Montero. 2-3, M.72: Cristiano Ronaldo.

Real Madrid 5 - 0 Espanyol (Spanish League Day 26)

Real Madrid have scored 85 goals in 24 league games thanks to the five netted against Espanyol tonight, which also gave them a tenth straight victory in the championship. The Whites were superior throughout the encounter and thrilled their fans with an electrifying shower of goals at the Bernabeu.

Real Madrid have scored 85 goals in 24 League games

Carvalho came on for the suspended Pepe and Real Madrid didn't have such an intense start to the match as usual, but Espanyol seemed weary and hardly managed to give two consecutive passes. Mourinho's men completely controlled the match and soon started to have chances. The first was a Ronaldo shot that grazed one of the posts (11'), followed by one by Kaka inside the box that was cleared by goalkeeper Casilla (19').

Real scored the opener two minutes later when Ozil stole the ball as Espanyol's defence had made a mess of a clearance, passed it to Higuain and the Argentine then left it for Ronaldo to nutmeg Casilla (21').

The goal spurred Real Madrid and an excellent combination between Ozil and Khedira ended in a strike by the latter that gave the locals a comfortable lead (38'). Higuain and Ronaldo nearly scored some more before half-time but were unlucky.

The second half couldn't have had a better start: Kaka entered the box after a long run and served a perfect assist for Higuain to tally the third. Espanyol completely deflated and Mourinho benched Carvalho, who already had one booking. Varane came on and Real continued to dominate the match. Casilla cleared another Ronaldo shot and the Portuguese striker later crossed the ball into the box, where it was picked up by Kaka and sent into the goal when the defence made a mess of its attempt to clear it (65').

Callejon came on for Ozil one minute later amidst exultant celebration in the stands. In the final minutes, Cristiano Ronaldo passed the ball to Morata looking to help him score, but Casilla sent the youth teamer's shot to corner (87').

Summary

Stadium: Santiago Bernabeu
Attendance: 77,000
Goals: 1-0, min. 23: Cristiano Ronaldo; 2-0, min. 38: Khedira. 3-0, min. 47: Higuaín. 4-0, min. 66: Kaká. 5-0, min. 78: Higuaín.