Paris, March 06: Real Madrid has trounced Malaga 7-0 thanks to a hat trick by Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo to close the gap on its arch-rival Barcelona to seven points.
French forward Karim Benzema scored twice and Argentine winger Angel di Maria and Brazilian full back Marcelo netted once for Real at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday.
Ronaldo took center stage in the second half to disappoint Malaga, which stays second from bottom three points from safety.
The hat trick by the world’s most expensive player put him at the top of the goal scoring charts on 27 goals with Barcelona’s Argentine star Lionel Messi.
On Wednesday, Barcelona, coached by Pep Guardiola, defeated Valencia by Messi’s solo goal.
Real manager Jose Mourinho praised Benzema’s recent improvement on the pitch.
“Karim Benzema is playing much better in recent weeks. He is a completely different player from the footballer he was when I arrived,” Mourinho said.
Barcelona has 71 points while Real Madrid has secured 64.
——–Agencies