Real Madrid signed off their season with a wild win over Getafe which featured yet another Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick, taking him to 61 goals for the season – a new personal best for the Portuguese.
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The haul is one better than the 60 he managed in 2011/12 and ensured he finished the campaign with the Pichichi as La Liga’s leading goalscorer with 48, five more than Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.
Javier Hernandez and Ronaldo went close early on before the latter opened the scoring, rising high to powerfully head in Marcelo’s deep cross.
If that seemed a predictable start, though, the rest of the half was anything but.
FT: Real Madrid 7 – 3 Getafe (CR7, 13′ 32’ 34’ (p), Chicharito, 47’, James, 51’, Jesé 71’, Marcelo, 90′). pic.twitter.com/8CaKxireUj
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) May 23, 2015
The equaliser came as a bolt from the blue as Sergio Escudero let fly from 25 yards with his left foot, the ball skipping into the bottom corner past the helpless Iker Casillas.
Diego Castro was just as emphatic from similar range after great build-up play by Pedro Leon and Getafe had a shock lead.
But Ronaldo produced a moment of magic just after the half-hour with a curling sidefoot from a 30-yard free kick into the bottom corner of Jordi Codina’s net.
And when Carlos Vigaray pushed Hernandez in the area two minutes later, Ronaldo tucked away the penalty for his eighth hat-trick of the season.
Mehdi Lacen made it 3-3 three minutes before the interval with a brutal finish after the ball fell to him following a corner that was not dealt with.
And when Marcelo’s panicked clearance led to another corner, which was cleared only as far as the edge of the box, Pedro Leon fired wide and flashed a free-kick just over with the final action of a barnstorming first half.
Ronaldo should have had his fourth two minutes after half-time, but contrived to head against the post. It mattered not, though, as Hernandez followed up to drive the ball home.
MARTIN ØDEGAARD MADE HIS DEBUT FOR REAL MADRID! https://t.co/MV8J61GQzb
— Real MadrOid (@RealMadrOid) May 24, 2015
James emulated Ronaldo’s free-kick goal to make it 5-3 just seven minutes after half-time and Real took the opportunity to introduce 16-year-old Martin Odegaard.
Hernandez was offside when he blasted home Odegaard’s neat reverse ball and, after some determined build-up work from the teen, Jese’s deft chip was tipped over.
Casillas’ future remains up in the air and he gave the Bernabeu one final stunning save to remember him by as he flew to his left to tip over Pablo Sarabia’s effort.
And Real broke straight downfield to score a seventh, Jese adjudged to have beaten the offside trap before crossing for a sliding Marcelo to convert.
