Ronaldo on Song

 

 

- Amrit Ramakrishnan

Cristiano Ronaldo, facing agoal-scoring crisis of sorts,answered his detractors ashis hat-trick helped Real Madrid trounce arch-rival Atletico Madrid 3-0 in the Madrid derby in front of its fans.

His treble of goals was an exhibition of attributes he is known for. A free-kick in the first-half, albeit thanks to a deflection, gave the visitor the lead. He doubled it in the second period when he converted the penalty that he won and sealed the deal through a classic counter attack, tapping home from close range after Bale squared the ball from the left flank.

The victory extends Real’s lead at the top of the table to four points (30 points), which was accentuated by a Messi-less Barcelona’s inability to score at home as it was held to a 0-0 draw by Malaga. Atletico Madrid is languishing nine points behind its arch-rival in sixth (21 points).

Meanwhile, Sevilla leapfrogged Villarreal to third place with a thrilling, come-from-behind 3-2 victory at Deportivo as it sits only two points behind Barcelona. Villarreal succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at Athletic Bilbao.

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