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First Division - Day 7

Real Madrid 5 - Athletic Bilbao 0

Madrid: Casillas; Dani Carvajal, Pepe, Sergio Ramos (Varane 46‘), Marcelo; Modric, Kroos (Illarramendi 73’), James, Bale, Benzema (Isco 79‘), Cristiano Ronaldo. 4-3-3.
Athletic: Iraizoz; De Marcos, Gurpegi, Laporte, Balenziaga; Iturraspe, Mikel Rico; Susaeta (Unai López 62‘), Beñat (Ibai Gómez 46’), Muniain (Etxeita 73‘); Guillermo. 4-2-3-1.

Goals:
1-0. 03. Ronaldo. Steered far post header down past Iraizoz from Bale cross.
2-0. 41. Benzema. Got between markers to head Modric corner down in to net.
3-0. 55. Ronaldo. Swept ball in to net after Bale crossed from right of area.
4-0. 69. Benzema. Got on the end of Ronaldo cross to turn shot past Iraizoz.
5-0. 89. Ronaldo. Deflected ball in with elbow after Pepe poked shot across goal.

Yellow cards: De Marcos 24’, Sergio Ramos 27’, Balenziaga 34’.

Real Madrid are back in the frame after their early season slips, and they are just a point behind third placed Sevilla after thrashing a poor Athletic Bilbao 5-0 in the last match of the weekend. With just three minutes gone Cristiano Ronaldo headed them in to the lead from Bale’s cross, and Iraizoz had to be at his best to keep out a couple of efforts from Ronaldo later in the first half. Casillas was called upon to tip an impressive volley by Muniain over the top, but shortly before half time Benzema headed in a Modric corner to make it two. Ten minutes after the restart the “BBC” combination (Benzema-Bale-Cristiano) worked again for Ronaldo to score the third, and Modric and Ronaldo got together to set up Benzema for a fourth. Casillas did have to save again from Ibai Gómez, but Iraizoz was forced to make several stops from Modric, Ronaldo and Bale before he was beaten for a fifth time, Pepe’s snapshot hitting Ronaldo on the elbow and deflecting in to the net. It was the Portuguese striker’s third hat-trick in fifteen days, and his thirteenth of the season in the league, the best start by anyone in 70 years. Athletic though are reeling after only picking up one point in their last five games (as well as losing at Borisov in the Champions League midweek), and they ended the weekend down in the bottom three.