Cristiano Ronaldo extended his scoring streak to 12 straight games before setting up another goal to help Real Madrid ease to a 4-0 win at Granada and take the provisional lead of the Spanish Primera Liga on Saturday.
Colombia forward James Rodriguez had his best game since joining Madrid this summer with a pair of goals, while Karim Benzema also scored from Ronaldo’s pass after setting up the Portugal star’s second-minute opener.
Madrid will take their 11-game winning run back home to host Liverpool in the Uefa Champions League on Tuesday. They have outscored opponents 46-7 during that streak.
Ronaldo also kept up his personal streak with his league-leading 17th goal through nine rounds and his 22nd overall this campaign.
“Talking about Cristiano is starting to be a little difficult. He is fantastic,” Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said. “We are playing with quality and a lot of concentration, work and sacrifice. When this team fights, its talent comes out.”
Granada coach Joaquin Caparros, one the league’s veteran managers, had reacted angrily before the match to a bad headline in a Madrid-friendly sports daily. He tore a copy of Marca into bits at a news conference on Friday after accusing the paper of misquoting him in a front-page headline that said: “I only ask they don’t steamroller us”.
Unfortunately for Caparros, Madrid did just that with the same starting 11 who beat Barcelona 3-1 last weekend.
Ronaldo’s sharp right-footed strike to slot in Benzema’s pass after Dani Carvajal had won possession near the end-line put the visitors in control.
Caparros apologised after the match for the “manner” in which he carried out his tirade before the game.
“We prepared for the game believing in our chances, but Madrid’s first goal was a heavy blow,” Caparros said. “The result is lopsided. We deserved to score, but their early goal broke us.”
Rodriguez made it 2-0 in the 31st with an exquisite touch of his left boot to send the ball dipping over goalkeeper Roberto Fernandez after being set up by Benzema.
Benzema stabbed in his goal in the 54th from a back-heeled pass Ronaldo made with a defender draped on his back to ensure Granada stayed winless in six matches. Rodriguez tapped in his second goal with three minutes to go.
Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid made simple work of beating Cordoba 4-2 at home. Antoine Griezmann, Mario Mandzukic and Raul Garcia scored for Atletico, in addition to a Luso own goal, while Nabil Ghilas found the back of the net twice for Cordoba.
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