Bale and Rodriguez see 10-man Real Madrid home

Andy West 10:38 11/01/2015
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  • Comprehensive display: Real Madrid beat Espanyol but Cristiano Ronaldo failed to get on the score sheet again.

    Carlo Ancelotti heaped praise upon midfield duo Toni Kroos and Isco after watching 10-man Real Madrid return to winning ways after two straight losses by easily overcoming Espanyol 3-0.

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    First half goals from James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale set Los Blancos on their way before Fabio Coentrao was harshly sent off and substitute Nacho completed the scoring.

    Ancelotti believed his team’s control of the central area of the field was the crucial factor in their victory, saying: “Kroos is playing at an optimum level when you consider the fact he’s a new signing. And Isco has been playing very well for a long time. That doesn’t surprise me  because he’s had continuity, which he didn’t get last season.”

    Madrid came into the match on the back of defeats to Valencia last Sunday and Atletico in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday. It was unclear if they were beset by nerves but Espanyol started brightly and strikers Sergio Garcia and Felipe Caic-edo both had presentable opportunities in the opening two minutes.

    The deadlock was soon broken with a beauty of a goal as Bale pinged a magnificent 50-yard crossfield pass into the path of Ronaldo, and his first-time lay-off allowed the onrushing James to strike left-footed into the net.

    With Madrid comfortable, the second followed when Isco was fouled on the edge of the box and Bale stepped up to thrash home a brilliant left-footed free-kick via the inside of the right post.

    The hosts then relaxed a little too much, with passes going astray and Espanyol given an opportunity to rally, but despite getting into some dangerous positions the visitors were unable to seriously trouble Casillas before the break.

    The early stages of the second period were marked by a horrible high-speed collision between Coentrao and Jose Canas which resulted in both players receiving lengthy treatment.

    The incident appeared to be as a 50-50 challenge, but when Coentrao struggled to his feet he was shown a straight red card by referee David Fernandez Borbalan.

    Despite being reduced in numbers, the hosts continued to look dangerous on the counter-attack as Espanyol proceeded to throw more men forward in search of a route back into the game.

    Ronaldo had two opportunities but, looking somewhat out of sorts, lacked his trademark precision by dragging the first wide and allowing the second to be blocked by hesitating before shooting.

    An even better chance was squandered by Bale, who was released through the middle by Isco and raced clear before prodding his shot wide.

    That prompted a frustrated reaction from Ronaldo and whistles from some home fans who felt he should have passed – an increasingly recurring theme after the Welshman also drew criticism for failing to pass in a similar position during the loss at Valencia.

    Those jeers soon turned to cheers, however, as Nacho wrapped up the game with his team’s third, finding space to receive a cross from Alvaro Arbeloa and drilling a firm shot past the helpless Kiko Casilla.

    Elsewhere in Spain, Valencia wasted an opportunity to gain ground on their rivals for a Champions League spot as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Celta Vigo.

    Villarreal stretched their unbeaten run to 13 matches but were unable to put any more daylight between themselves and rival European hopefuls Malaga as the two teams shared a 1-1 draw.

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