Madrid wallops Getafe 5-1 to put pressure on Barca

Real Madrid moved to within a point of La Liga leaders Barcelona after Karim Benzema, Isco, Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez and Cristiano Ronaldo all scored in a 5-1 thrashing at struggling Getafe on Saturday.

Benzema opened the scoring on 29 minutes by tapping home from close range and then laid on the pass for Isco to double the lead in the 40th.

Bale got the third five minutes after the restart, taking his league tally to 16 goals this season, his best since moving to Madrid in 2013.

Pablo Sarabia pulled one back for Getafe in the 84th when he curled the ball into the top corner from the edge of the area, but Rodriguez added another for Madrid, before Ronaldo tapped in with the final kick of the game.

Madrid have 75 points and provisionally move ahead of city rivals Atletico, who play Granada on Sunday, when Barcelona host Valencia.

Getafe drop to the bottom of La Liga on 28 points with five games left of the season.

Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane made three changes to the team that beat VfL Wolfsburg 3-0 on Tuesday to reach the Champions League semi-finals, resting Casemiro, Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric for Rodriguez, Isco and Raphael Varane.

Madrid took an early stranglehold on the match and nearly took the lead after 15 minutes when Cristiano Ronaldo hit the post.

Instead Benzema put them ahead, volleying Rodriguez’s cross into the bottom corner for his 22nd league goal of the season, which surpassed his previous record of 21 goals in the 2011/12 campaign.

The Frenchman, who learned this week that he would not be going to the European Championships with France due to his alleged involvement in a blackmail scandal, played a one-two with Isco to allow the Spanish midfielder to get the second.

Bale grabbed his goal by racing into the area from the right and curling the ball left-footed into the far corner.

Sarabia’s strike was Getafe’s first goal under new coach Juan Esnaider, who replaced Fran Escriba this week.

James scored after dazzling a Getafe defender, and substitute Jese set up Ronaldo to tap in the fifth in stoppage time.

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