A pulsating nine-goal contest at the Santiago Bernabeu saw Real Madrid emerge victorious in their La Liga clash with Girona on Sunday.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored four goals and set up another to lead the way while Lucas Vazquez and Gareth Bale also got in on the act as well.
Cristhian Stuani scored a brace for the visitors while Juanpe added a third as the visitors were defeated 6-3.
Here are three things we learned from the encounter.
RONALDO MATCHING MESSI
Cristiano Ronaldo does not give up a chase and certainly doesn’t shy away from a challenge.
The footballing world may be a little Messi-mad at the moment but the Portuguese is doing everything in his power to ensure his Ballon d’Or rival doesn’t have the spotlight all to himself – although Mohamed Salah is doing a fine job of being part of the conversation as well.
Barcelona’s lead in La Liga may be unassailable but even though it seemed like it not too long ago, that can’t be said about Messi’s advantage in the race for the Pichichi award.
Against Girona, Ronaldo scored the 50th hat-trick of his career and then added another for good measure.
His four goals on the day means he’s scored an astounding 14 goals in his last six league games. Ronaldo has stormed to within just three goals of Messi’s tally of 25. A remarkable comeback in the race to be La Liga’s top scorer is firmly within his sights now.
Not so fast Leo: Ronaldo back in contention for the Pichichi.
BACK IN KROOS-CONTROL
Toni Kroos has not had the best of seasons, that much is certain. The German’s form has suffered for much of the campaign and he’s been identified as one of Madrid’s key stars who have been guilty of under-performing.
On Sunday night though, he was back in Kroos-control. The midfielder was at his exquisite best, dictating play with his vast array of passes and controlling the tempo of the game – he can be blamed for turning the meter up to ‘are you sure about this?’.
He made 102 passes on the day, more than anyone else on the pitch and boasted a pass accuracy of 97 per cent. That is no mean feat, especially since many were forward, penetrative passes. In fact, his four key passes was also the most in the game.
Not only did he set up Ronaldo twice but also played the pass for Vazquez’s goal in the first-half which was wrongly ruled out for offside. It was a standout performance from a spectacular pass-master.
Back on top: Toni Kroos.
MADRID DEFENCE
As Girona scored their third goal at the Bernabeu, somewhere in Turin we can only assume Massimiliano Allegri pulled out his training schedule for the week ahead and pencilled in a few extra set-piece sessions.
Pablo Machin’s side managed to breach the Los Blancos defence three times over 90 minutes, twice from free-kicks and once from a short corner. Each time evading markers and dominating in the air.
Dani Carvajal was particularly at fault, twice allowing Stuani to beat him to the ball. Nacho was no better when Juanpe was allowed to leap with complete freedom and head in the third.
It wasn’t just set-pieces where they were vulnerable though. Apart from Marcelo, every member of that backline looked shaky.
Raphael Varane’s intercepted back pass in the closing stages summed up his defensive form this season. Juventus will be very encouraged by what they saw.
Goal. Stuani scores another header. 4-2. #RealMadrid #HalaMadrid #Ronaldo #Girona #RealMadridGirona pic.twitter.com/ocTGjpq8AU
— fantastachi🌹 (@xfantastachi) March 18, 2018
