IN SPORT.ES
Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema struck their first goals of the season in La Liga to help a heavily rotated Real Madrid side scrape past local rivals Getafe.
With the Champions League clash against Tottenham coming up on Tuesday Zinedine Zidane chose to start with Isco and Luka Modric on the bench and Casemiro was left out entirely, while regular starters Gareth Bale and Dani Carvajal were out injured.
They paid the price for it with a performance lacking in fluency, although had enough quality to emerge with the three points and move up to second in the table. Just.
Ronaldo stung the palms of Vicente Guaita with a low volley after some innovative ball-juggling by Karim Benzema just inside the area.
Perhaps the most noteworthy moment of the first half happened when a pitch invader in full Cristiano strip ran onto the pitch to snatch a moment with his hero, before being led away by security.
Ronaldo forced Guaita into a save at his near post with another powerful effort as Madrid continued to dominate the play but struggle to knock down the door until just before the break.
Ronaldo’s pass was deflected into open space by Faycal Fajr and Benzema ran in to reach the loose ball, beating the flying Juan Cala, roaming into the area and firing accurately into the far corner.
Making his comeback from injury, having last featured for Madrid on September 9 against Levante, Benzema was the most lively player in a white shirt in the first half — beside the pitch invader.
However without much support from the rest of his team-mates, Benzema was fighting a lonely battle.
Madrid were below par and punished for it when Jorge Molina struck in the 56th minute, when a combination of the Getafe forward, Marcos Llorente and Nacho turned the ball past Kiko Casilla.
Ronaldo should have equalised but somehow fired wide from two yards out, while substitute Theo Hernandez scored but offside was correctly called.
Finally the Portuguese hitman struck when Isco’s delightful ball over the top left him in an ocean of space and he rifled home to send Madrid ahead.
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Ronaldo’s first goal came just in the nick of time to keep Real Madrid in the title race—and reassure fans the stewards hadn’t removed the wrong Cristiano.