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| Cristiano Ronaldo scored another hat-trick for Real Madrid |
Higuain and Kaka were in the starting lineup. The start to the game was stroppy and each side could have been awarded a penalty. Real Madrid stepped up their performance and started to take control. Higuain soon scored the opener receiving the ball all on his own and defeating Ruben in a one-on-one (10'). The strike was a harsh blow to the locals and they never recovered form it.
Mourinho's men completely dominated the encounter and Di Maria soon served another assist, this time to Cristiano Ronaldo, who defeated Demichelis with a subtle touch on ball (23'). Still wanting more, the Madridistas continued attacking in search of more strikes. Xabi Alonso stole the ball in a throw-in and served it to Ronaldo, who defeated Ruben with a powerful shot. The goal silenced the stands at La Rosaleda.
The icing on the cake was yet to come: Di Maria took a corner-kick and Cristiano scored his third from an acrobatic heel shot (37'). The game was completely over and there was yet a whole half still to be played.
With nothing to lose, Malaga decided to attack, which is usually lethal against this Real Madrid side. Joaquin sent the ball to the crossbar on the 49-minute mark, but Higuain nearly scored a fifth from the ensuing effort.
Eliseu forced Casillas to make an amazing save (55'). Real Madrid patiently waited in defence hoping to maybe score more goals from fast counterattacks; Demichelis and Rondon had chances to score goals for Malaga thanks to this relaxation.
Mourinho noticed this and replaced Kaka with Ozil, but Malaga continue to put a siege on Casillas' goal. Benzema came on for Higuain in the 70th minute and the locals lowered the pace of their game in the final 20 minutes, proving to be less dangerous. Real Madrid took control again and Callejon came on for Di Maria on the 75-minute mark.
The locals nearly saved face by scoring a strike in the 78th minute through Seba Fernandez, who sent the ball to the crossbar. Ronaldo then nearly scored again, forcing Ruben to clear his free-kick with his fists (87'). In the end, Real Madrid took three points and earned a fourth straight win in La L:iga. Up next are Villarreal at the Bernabeu.
Summary
Stadium: La Rosaleda
Attendance: 34,500
Goals: 0 - 1, min.11, Higuaín. 0 - 2, min.23, Cristiano Ronaldo. 0 - 3, min.28, Cristiano Ronaldo. 0 - 4, min.38, Cristiano Ronaldo.
