Match Report: Real Madrid 7 Malaga 0

Real Madrid closed the gap on Barcelona at the top of La Liga to seven points with seven goals as they defeated Malaga 7-0.

The build up to the match had been dominated by Jose Mourinho’s condemnation of his predecessor Manuel Pellegrini by saying if he were to leave Madrid, as the Chilean did last summer, he wouldn’t be found in Malaga but at a big club in England or Italy. As it turned out Mourinho, for once, didn’t need mind games or wind up tactics as it was his players that put Pellegrini firmly in his place.

Angel Di Maria and Cristiano Ronaldo fired warning shots within the first 10 minutes. However, it took 26 minutes for the home side to make the breakthrough, Karim Benzema flicking home Xabi Alonso’s free-kick. Real were now up and running and doubled their lead within 10 minutes, a catastrophic error from Manuel Gaspar – who suffered a torrid evening – allowing Di Maria to run through and slot past Wilfredo Caballero.

Marcelo added a third just before half-time thanks to a sumptuous chipped ball through from Di Maria and a thumping finish from the Brazilian full-back.

The second period offered the same as the first with Madrid’s power and pace too much for a weak and spiritless Malaga side. Ronaldo helped himself to a 26 minute hat trick, meanwhile Gaspar’s awful night was sealed with a red card on 67 minutes for a second bookable offence.

Benzema also got his second of the night with a header from Marcelo’s fine cross.

Overall Real did what they needed to do in destroying a poor Malaga side and closing the gap on Barca whilst Pellegrini’s Malaga look in severe trouble, still firmly rooted in the bottom three with 12 games remaining. Malaga may have a sheikh off the field but they desperately need a shake on it if they are to remain in the top flight.

Real Madrid 7 (Benzema 27 & 61, Marcelo 45, Di Maria 35, Ronaldo 50, 67 (pen) & 76) – Malaga 0

Match Report: Espanyol 0 Real Madrid 1

So, at the end of an amazing weekend ‘hay liga’ - but how Real Madrid had to fight to make it so.

1-0 away to a side struggling since the loss of key players in January may not seem that impressive. But given the circumstances this was undoubtedly the biggest result and performance of Jose Mourinho’s time as manager at the Bernabéu.

After Barcelona’s 1-1 draw in Gijon last night the pressure was on Mourinho’s men to cut the gap at the top to five points. After two minutes the pressure had been ratcheted up at least another five points. A long ball through the middle found José María Callejón who poked the ball past Iker Casillas and in traditional Callejón style fell to the ground. Contact was minimal but probably just enough to deserve a foul and a red card for the Spanish captain.

Yet, with 10 men for 91 minutes Real were resilient in defence (protecting their young substitute goalkeeper, Antonio Adán, exceptionally well), broke with vigour and pace and if it hadn’t been for Carlos Kameni in the Espanyol goal (or arguably more accurately Emmanuel Adebayor’s finishing) Real could have had as many goals as they had players.

In the end it was stand-in captain Marcelo who got the only goal as Espanyol struggled to make the extra man count throughout the 90 minutes.

However, they could have been ahead on 13 minutes. Javi Marquez’s volley from the edge of the area deflected just wide, and from the resulting corner the same player’s drive was spooned over his own crossbar by Adebayor.

Real then began to take control. Marcelo and Sami Khedira fired in warning shots that deflected just over and Kameni bundled wide respectively, before the Brazilian full-back made the breakthrough on 24 minutes.

Cristiano Ronaldo, doing what he so often doesn’t, faking the shot to pull the defence out of position and playing in Marcelo who fired forcefully past Kameni at the near post. The goalkeeper may be slightly disappointed to have conceded given the angle of the shot but it was hit with such ferocity it is hard to be critical.

And within a minute it was nearly two. Adebayor passing up the first of his many chances with a drive that Kameni parried away to safety.

The Togolese was released in behind the Espanyol defence again eight minutes before half-time by a wonderful pass from Xabi Alonso. However, after seeing off the defender and settling himself Adebayor only contrived to spoon the ball up onto the top of the bar.

Kameni had to be on guard again to deny Ronaldo just before the break as Real’s pace on the counter was proving too much for a makeshift Espanyol backline.

In the second-half the pace and intensity of the game remained but without the same level of incident and goalmouth action. Real seemed happier to sit deep and less quick to throw bodies forward on the counter. Meanwhile, despite having more possession Espanyol lacked any sort of cutting edge in the final third. After all the talk about his contract situation in the week, Pepe more than earning his money with a fine display of aggressive defending.

Both Callejón and Ronaldo then fired across goal when a cut back to teammates in better positions might have been the better option.

With 10 minutes to go Mourinho sent on Lassana Diarra for Mesut Ozil. The Portuguese coach obviously hoping that an extra destroyer in the midfield could see the game out. The only problem for Mourinho was that his real destroyer was playing as the frontman as time and again good work by Ronaldo was not capitalised on by Adebayor.

With nine minutes to go the Portuguese winger exchanged passes with the Manchester City loanee before laying the ball across the six-yard box; Kameni getting down well to block Adebayor’s attempt to pass the ball into the net. Judging by Mourinho’s reaction he just wished he had got that number 9 in January…..oh wait.

Two minutes later and it was confirmed that Adebayor was trying to give his Portuguese teammate and coach a coronary. More good work by Ronaldo (maybe this is why he doesn’t normally pass) setting the former Arsenal man free on goal but again he was denied by the body of Kameni.

Joan Verdú then nearly nicked a point for the hosts with their best attempt of the second-half. His fine attempted chip though was well pouched by Adán.

While the plaudits will rightly go to the visitors this was a huge missed opportunity for Espanyol. Villarreal’s defeat earlier in the day had opened the door back into the Champions League race but without Osvaldo in attack and Victor Ruiz in defence they look a pale shadow of the side that did so well through the first 19 games of the season.

Not that Mourinho, Marca or the rest of the Madristas will care about that. Should the 31 times Champions somehow make it 32 come May, this weekend will have been the turning point.