Ronaldo hits 30-mark as Madrid down Espanyol
Sunday, March 4, 2012
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Cristiano Ronaldo racked up his 30th Liga strike this term as Real Madrid CF re-established their ten-point lead in emphatic fashion courtesy of a 5-0 win against RCD Espanyol.
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Real Madrid CF re-established their ten-point Liga lead in emphatic fashion courtesy of a 5-0 victory against RCD Espanyol.
Looking to respond to FC Barcelona's 3-1 win against Real Sporting de Gijón on Saturday, Madrid took the lead after 23 minutes thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo's 30th league effort this season, the Portugal forward slotting in from the left after being set up by Gonzalo Higuaín. Sami Khedira made it 2-0 a quarter of an hour later and Higuaín quickly added the third after the restart, going on to double his tally following a Kaká strike on 66 minutes.
The win was the Merengues' tenth consecutive Liga success this term and maintained their comfortable advantage in the title race. Fourteen points behind Barcelona in third, meanwhile, Valencia CF had Sofiane Feghouli to thank for their 1-0 success at Granada CF, who lie just four points outside the relegation zone. One point worse off, Villarreal CF succumbed 2-1 at bottom club Real Zaragoza. As for Athletic Club, they climbed to fourth with a 2-0 triumph against Real Sociedad de Fútbol.