Ronaldo fired a hat trick in 20 first-half minutes. (Getty)
Final Score
Espanyol 0-0 — 0
Real Madrid 4-2 — 6
Cristiano Ronaldo scored five times to lead Real Madrid past Espanyol 6-0 on Saturday in a La Liga matchup at the Power8 Stadium.
Ronaldo, who hadn’t scored in his last seven competitive matches, bagged a hat trick in the first 20 minutes of the game before finishing off the fine performance with two goals in the second half.
Check below for stats and highlights of the match.
Stats
Goals: Real Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo (7′, 17′, 20′, 61′, 81′), Karim Benzema (28′)
Shots (On Goal): Espanyol 13 (3 on goal), Real Madrid 13 (7 on goal)
Tackles: Espanyol 12, Real Madrid 16
Fouls: Espanyol 18, Real Madrid 8
Possession: Espanyol 52% Real Madrid 48%
Cards: Espanyol: Alvaro Gonzalez Soberon (16′), Jose Canas (66′); Real Madrid: Karim Benzema (36′), Mateo Kovacic (69′)
Attendance: 32,155
Lineups
Espanyol: Sabata, Arbilla, Alvaro, Ciani, Duarte, Lopez, Sanchez, Sevilla, Alvarez, Caicedo, Gerard
Real Madrid: Navas, Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Casemiro, Modric, Ronaldo, Bale, Isco, Benzema
Cristiano Ronaldo Scored his 1st Goal of the Season
Ronaldo sprung the Espanyol offside trap to give Real Madrid a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute.
Ronaldo Struck Again to Give Real Madrid a 2-0 Lead
Ronaldo converted a penalty to double Real’s lead in the 17th minute.
Ronaldo Finished his Hat Trick in the 20th minute
A shell-shocked Espanyol were hit up for another goal when Ronaldo took advantage of some shaky defending to give Real Madrid a 3-0 lead.
Karim Benzema Scored a 4th in the 28th Minute
Ronaldo then turned provider for Karim Benzema, who tapped in this cross to make the lead 4-0 in just the 28th minute.
Ronaldo Scored his 4th Goal of the Match in the 61st Minute
Ronaldo continued his memorable match in the 61st minute, easily finishing a pinpoint cross from Gareth Bale to give Real Madrid a 5-0 lead with 30 minutes to play. The goal gave Ronaldo the most goals in Real Madrid history in La Liga, passing club legend Raul.
Ronaldo Bagged a 5th Goal With 10 Minutes to Play
Ronaldo scored another goal late on to complete the masterful performance.
Preview: Real Madrid & Espanyol Meet in Barcelona
Gareth Bale has shined in Rafa Benitez’s system (Getty)
Most of Real Madrid’s players spent the two-week international break representing their respective countries, but not all of them came back to Madrid in perfect health.
James Rodriguez and Danilo will miss Real Madrid’s game with Espanyol on Saturday and may face extended time on the sideline. Rodriguez tore a thigh muscle while representing Colombia, while Danilo injured his foot for Brazil. Each could be out for up to a month.
Real Madrid defeated Real Betis 5-0 before the international break, and will look to add another win before their Champions League campaign begins this week.