Real Madrid returned to winning ways in La Liga courtesy of a 3-1 victory over 10-man Getafe at the Bernabeu on Saturday night.
Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo scored the goals for Los Blancos, who will now switch their attention to next week’s Champions League last-16 second leg against Paris Saint-Germain in Paris.
The result has allowed Zinedine Zidane’s side to move to within seven points of second-placed Atletico Madrid in the table, while Getafe stay down in 10th position.
It was the away side that had the game’s first attempt in the 19th minute, but Angel – having broken into the Real Madrid box – could only fire into the body of the home side’s goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
Real Madrid were having plenty of the ball, but Zidane’s team were finding it difficult to work space in the final third.
It took until the 24th minute for the reigning champions to have a chance of note, but it ended up in the back of the net as Bale swept home from close range after the ball had fallen kindly for the Welshman off the back of Isco.
Real Madrid dominated the period that followed, although chances were still few and far between, with a long-range Carvajal strike – which missed the post – just about as close as Los Blancos came to scoring a second approaching the final moments of the first half.
Getafe could not keep the score at 1-0 entering the interval, however, with Ronaldo doubling the home side’s advantage in first-half stoppage time when he collected a smart pass from Benzema before finding the bottom corner to register his 300th La Liga goal.
Remy tested the handling of Navas in the early stages of the second period, but the 31-year-old was sent off moments later as he picked up a second yellow card for grabbing the neck of Nacho.
Getafe were back in the match in the 65th minute, however, when Francisco Portillo scored from the penalty spot after Molina went down under a challenge from Nacho, who appeared to play the ball.
Ronaldo thought that he had sent Real Madrid 3-1 ahead in the 67th minute when he nodded a Marcelo cross into the back of the net, but the goal was ruled out for a push. The Portuguese was then denied by a fine save from Getafe goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez moments later.
Ronaldo did have his second in the 78th minute, however, when he headed a brilliant Marcelo cross into the back of the net before leaving the field shortly after as he was given a short rest ahead of the PSG clash.
Bale came close to making it 4-1 in the final moments when he curled one towards the bottom corner, but the Welshman’s effort clipped the outside of the post, before he was denied by Martinez moments later.
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