Gonzalo nets treble as Real drub Betis to close gap on Barcelona

Gonzalo Garcia bagged a hat-trick for Real Madrid as they beat Real Betis 5-1 on Sunday to stay on La Liga leaders Barcelona's tail.

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Spanish striker Garcia, filling in for the injured Kylian Mbappe, opened the scoring after 20 minutes and then volleyed home a superb second early in the second half to give Madrid a commanding lead.

Raul Asencio further extended Xabi Alonso's side's advantage before Cucho Hernandez pulled one back for Manuel Pellegrini's visitors, sixth.

Madrid youth academy product Garcia completed his hat-trick after 82 minutes with a clever flicked finish to delight fans at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Fran Garcia notching a late fifth.

Madrid, second, cut Barca's lead back down to four points after the champions edged Espanyol 2-0 in a Catalan derby on Saturday.

Atletico Madrid, fourth, were held 1-1 at Real Sociedad later on.

Madrid's victory eased the pressure on Alonso, who scraped through to 2026 at the helm despite reports he was on the verge of being sacked after a run of inconsistent form.

With top goalscorer Mbappe sidelined with a knee sprain, Alonso turned to 21-year-old forward Garcia to replace him, as he did during the Club World Cup last summer.