Hits 50th goal of season in win against Athletic Bilbao
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 49th and 50th goals in all competitions this season as Real Madrid won 3-0 at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, while Barcelona didn’t need lionel Messi to brush aside Real Zaragoza 3-0 and ease closer to the Spanish league title.
Ronaldo opened with a dipping free kick two minutes in and scored again in the 69th, before passing for Gonzalo Higuain to net a third in the 76th.
“We have a great player in Ronaldo,” Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso said. “He is so competitive. He wants to play every game and score as many goals he can.
“We got a great result tonight that lets us continue in second place.”Barcelona’s own convincing victory led by a double from 21-year-old forward Cristian Tello kept it 13 points clear of Madrid with seven rounds to go.
Elsewhere, Radamel Falcao scored twice in Atletico Madrid’s 5-0 rout of Granada as it remained three points behind Madrid in third place, while Real Sociedad cemented its hold on fourth place and the last Champions league spot by winning 2-0 at Rayo Vallecano.
Ronaldo struck a perfect free kick to put Madrid ahead at San Mames Stadium.
Known for his blistering long-range blasts, Ronaldo instead used an exquisite bending effort to swerve the ball over the barrier and land it beyond the reach of goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz.
“Cristiano’s first goal put us on the way to victory,” Higuain said. “He’s in great form, and I hope he keeps it up for all of us.”
Bilbao responded well, but Madrid goalkeeper Diego lopez got just enough of Markel Susaeta’s and Ander Herrera’s shots to push them wide and protect the lead until Ronaldo struck again in the 69th.
After Ronaldo had complained vehemently following a collision with Ander Iturraspe at the beginning of the second half, the Portugal forward fought off Ramalho to thump home Xabi Alonso’s free kick with a stinging header. Ronaldo has scored 31 league goals - 12 fewer than Messi, who has scored 57 in all competitions.
Ronaldo capped his outstanding night by beating the offside trap with a pass that Higuain drove past Iraizoz.
Messi was left out of Barcelona’s squad as he recovers from a right hamstring injury that he played through as a substitute to help Barcelona rally against Paris Saint-Germain and reach the Champions league semifinals earlier this week.
The Argentina forward wasn’t the only Barcelona player to take the day off. It played with only five of its regular starters, given that the league title is well in hand and several players need extra rest before its Champions league tie with Bayern Munich begins on April 23. Madrid faces the first leg of its semifinal against Borussia Dortmund the next day.