Ronaldo scored four goals, Real won big in round 29 of La Liga
CR7 contributed greatly to the 6-3 win over Girona, bringing Real back to third place.
Real Madrid 6-3 Girona
Goals: Ronaldo 11', 47', 64', 90'+1, Vazquez 59', Bale 86' - Stuani 29', 67', Juanpe 88'
Having lost 1-2 in the first leg, Real were determined to take revenge in the second leg at the Bernabeu. Girona's field soon became a regular playing ground for the white players, while goalkeeper Keylor Navas hardly had to work in the first 20 minutes. Real fans didn't have to wait long to celebrate when Ronaldo opened the score in the 11th minute. The star wearing the number 7 shirt chose a favorable position in the penalty area, and finished with one touch from a left-wing cross fromToni Kroos.
Ronaldo and his teammates poured goals on Girona. Photo:Reuters |
Despite conceding an early goal, Girona did not collapse like many other teams. As expected of a team currently ranked seventh, coach Pablo Machin's team quickly reorganized their play. Girona gradually limited the pressure from Real, and at the same time caused a surprise by equalizing in the 29th minute. Taking advantage of a moment when Real's defense was not being followed, striker Christian Stuani headed the ball hard from a corner kick to level the score at 1-1.
Girona only showed signs of decline when they conceded the second goal. Ronaldo continued to make the difference for Real with a precise finish when facing goalkeeper Bounou in the 47th minute.
Not only did Ronaldo score the first two decisive goals, he also played a role in setting up his teammates to increase the score to 3-1. From the pass from the star wearing the number 7 shirt, Lucas Vazquez only had to cushion the ball to put Real ahead in the 59th minute.
Ronaldo became a nightmare for Girona's defense. |
Losing their spirit after the third goal, Girona's defense could no longer keep their composure. Seizing the opportunity, Real scored a fourth goal from a simple attack in the penalty area. After Benzema's shot forced Bounou to push the ball away, Ronaldo rushed in to score the rebound to increase the score to 4-1.
While the defense did not play well, Girona's front line somewhat recovered their image with effective aerial battles.In the 67th minute, just three minutes after Ronaldo completed his hat-trick, Stuani headed the ball to reduce the score to 2-4 for the away team.
Girona exploited Real's weakness in aerial combat. |
The final period of the match continued to see the chase, but there were no surprises.Real added two more goals from two one-on-one shots against goalkeeper Bounou by Gareth Bale and Ronaldo, while Girona pulled a third back from a corner in the 88th minute.
Thanks to the big win, Real regained third place in La Liga with 60 points. The defending champion is one point ahead of Valencia, while also reducing the gap with second-placed Atletico Madrid to four points. Above, Barca still leads with 75 points in hand.
Thanh Quy