Cristiano Ronaldo erupted for his first five-goal game on Sunday, ending all talk of a dry spell as the Real Madrid star led a 9-1 demolition of Granada to keep the pressure on Spanish league leader Barcelona. Ronaldo followed Gareth Bale’s opener by netting his first three goals in a stunning eight-minute span to decide the match before halftime at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Ballon d’Or holder added two more goals after the break as Karim Benzema also netted a pair in one of the club’s most lopsided wins. Madrid hadn’t scored nine goals in a league match in 47 years. Its biggest league victory remains an 11-2 thrashing of Elche in 1960. “Cristiano is a phenomenon,” Benzema said. “He is always on the lookout for goals and ways of helping the team.”
Madrid and the Spanish league said this was the first time Ronaldo had scored five goals in a match and it came after a two-month stretch when the Portugal star was merely extremely good after his spectacular year in 2014. That recent dip in form had even earned him unexpected criticism as lionel Messi took over as the league’s most in-form scorer.
Usually protective of his players, Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Saturday that Ronaldo “had lowered his productivity” in the past two months as Madrid lost its league lead to Barcelona. Ronaldo responded in emphatic fashion by netting his 43rd, 44th, 45th, 46th and 47th goals in his 41st game of the season in all competitions. His performance left his coach almost as awe-struck as Granada’s helpless defenders.
“What more can be saidIJ” Ancelotti said. “(Ronaldo) has improved just as the team has. This is the first time he has scored five goals in a game and that is good news for everyone, for him, for the team and in terms of the upcoming games.”
Ronaldo’s outburst moved him ahead of Messi in their individual duel to lead the scoring this season with 36 goals to the Barcelona forward’s 32. Ronaldo’s 28th game with three-or-more goals for Madrid increased his career tally with the club to 300 goals in 287 games. Only Alfredo Di Stefano with 308 goals in 396 games and Raul Gonzalez with 323 in 741 have more goals in Real’s history.
Madrid’s win came one round after losing at Barcelona and pulled it to within one point of the pacesetter before it visits Celta Vigo later. In other games, Valencia needs to beat Villarreal to recover third place and Deportivo la Coruna visits Getafe.
Granada goalkeeper Oier Olazabal’s long day began in the 25th minute when Bale won Toni Kroos’ throughball and was all alone to dribble around Olazabal and poke the ball home. Five minutes later James Rodriguez marked his first game in two months after recovering from a broken right foot with an exquisite pass to set up Ronaldo for his first goal.
Olazabal was partly at fault for Ronaldo’s next two goals. Ronaldo got his second when he blasted in a short clearance by Olazabal in the 36th before he drove a long strike through Olazabal’s hands in the 38th for his hat trick. Ronaldo’s treble was not the fastest of the season. Rayo Vallecano’s Alberto Bueno notched three goals in six minutes before scoring a fourth in a 4-2 win over levante in February. Benzema got into the act with a goal in the 52nd. Ronaldo headed in Bale’s pass two minutes later, and Benzema’s deflected shot found the net in the 56th.
Roberto Ibanez scored for Granada in the 74th. But Diego Mainz scored an own goal with seven minutes left before Ronaldo got his final goal against Granada’s demoralized defense in the 90th minute of the game. “This is the biggest blow I have ever had, either as a player or a coach,” said Granada’s veteran manager Abel Resino, whose team was left in the relegation zone.
Spurs draw with burnely 0-0
Burnley: Harry Kane delivered a subdued performance in his first game as Tottenham captain, with a 0-0 draw at Burnley in the Premier league on Sunday hurting his team’s slim hopes of Champions league qualification. The 21-year-old Kane has been a revelation in his breakthrough season, scoring a joint-high 19 league goals and also on his debut for England last week, but he was starved of service against relegation-threatened opponents at Turf Moor.
Burnley created the better chances, with club top scorer Danny Ings forcing two saves from Spurs goalkeeper Michel Vorm in the first half. Christian Eriksen drove Spur’s best opportunity over the crossbar in the 69th minute. Sixth-place Tottenham moved level on points with liverpool and is provisionally seven points behind fourth-place Manchester City, which has a game in hand.
zenit beat cska moscow 2-0
Moscow: Hulk scored twice to give Zenit St. Petersburg a 2-1 win over CSKA Moscow in a match billed as a potential Russian Premier league title decider. The win leaves Zenit eight points clear at the top with nine games remaining and on target to win the title for the first time since 2012. Hulk blasted hosts Zenit ahead with a 25-yard shot off the post in the 63rd minute and extended his team’s lead 11 minutes later, reacting quickly to score on a rebound.