Match ends, Levante 0, Real Madrid 5.
LevanteLevante0Real MadridReal Madrid5
Real Madrid warmed up for their Champions League game at Liverpool on Wednesday with a convincing La Liga victory at struggling Levante.
Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring with a penalty after Juanfran fouled Javier Hernandez, who then put his side 2-0 ahead with a close-range header.
Ronaldo finished off a counter-attack for his 10th goal in four league games.
James Rodriguez then scored from Toni Kroos's through-ball, before Isco added a fifth from outside the penalty area.
Ronaldo's two goals means he has scored 15 league goals in eight matches - a new La Liga record. The previous best goalscoring start to a campaign had come in 1943-44 when Oviedo's Esteban Echevarria netted 14 times.
The victory takes Real Madrid up to second in La Liga, though Valencia and Sevilla - third and fourth respectively - play their respective games in hand on Sunday.
| How Aguero's strike-rate is better than Messi's |
|---|
| "This season, Manchester City are belatedly finding out what it is like when Sergio Aguero stays fit, and so are the opposition. So far in the 2014-15 campaign, Aguero trails only Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar in the list of the top marksmen's minutes-per-goal in Europe's leading five leagues - Spain, Germany, England, France and Italy - helping his side into second place, and keeping Premier League leaders Chelsea in their sights." |
| Read more: Why Aguero needs more minutes to match Messi |
With Wednesday's match at Anfield in mind, Gareth Bale dropped to the Real substitutes' bench and was not used.
But his team barely missed him as they took their goal tally to 30 in eight league matches.
Ronaldo needed only 13 minutes to opening the scoring, converting a penalty following Juanfran's foul on striker Hernandez, who is on loan from Manchester United.
The Mexican, playing in place of the ill Karim Benzema, made it 2-0 by heading in Rodriguez's cross.
Ronaldo extended the visitors' lead after dribbling past two defenders following a counter-attack started by Isco.
| Cristiano Ronaldo's goalscoring run in La Liga | |
|---|---|
| 18 October: Two (Levante 0-5 Real Madrid) | 5 October: Three (Real Madrid 5-0 v Athletic Bilbao) |
| 27 September: One (Villarreal 0-2 Real Madrid) | 23 September: Four (Real Madrid 5-1 Elche) |
Things got worse for the hosts when Rodriguez scored five minutes later, deftly controlling Kroos's lobbed pass with his chest before firing the ball home.
Isco completed the scoring in the 82nd minute as Real recorded their second successive 5-0 La Liga victory, after beating Athletic Bilbao by the same score on 5 October.
Levante have only netted four times in eight games, and their best chance fell to Victor Camarasa but his volley was cleared off the line by Luka Modric.
Line-ups
Levante
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 13Mariño
- 19López MuñozBooked at 45mins
- 5Rodas
- 12García GarcíaBooked at 12mins
- 2López Mendoza
- 23Diop
- 26CamarasaBooked at 24mins
- 10García SantosSubstituted forXumetraat 75'minutes
- 14GavilánBooked at 28minsSubstituted forPérez Alonsoat 45'minutes
- 11Morales Nogales
- 18Casadesús CastañoSubstituted forBarralat 67'minutes
Substitutes
- 1Fernández Collado
- 7Barral
- 16El Adoua
- 17Xumetra
- 20Pérez Alonso
- 21Ivanschitz
- 22Sissoko
Real Madrid
Formation 4-4-2
- 1Casillas
- 15Carvajal
- 3Pepe
- 18Nacho
- 12MarceloSubstituted forArbeloaat 73'minutes
- 10Rodríguez
- 19ModricSubstituted forMedránat 79'minutes
- 8KroosSubstituted forIllarramendiat 68'minutes
- 23Isco
- 14Hernández
- 7Cristiano Ronaldo
Substitutes
- 6Khedira
- 11Bale
- 13Navas
- 17Arbeloa
- 24Illarramendi
- 26Medrán
- 34Llorente
- Referee:
- Ignacio Iglesias Villanueva
- Attendance:
- 23,506
Match Stats
Home TeamLevanteAway TeamReal Madrid
- Possession
- Home39%
- Away61%
- Shots
- Home11
- Away21
- Shots on Target
- Home1
- Away11
- Corners
- Home6
- Away3
- Fouls
- Home13
- Away8
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Levante 0, Real Madrid 5.
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Attempt blocked. Morales (Levante) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Víctor Pérez.
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Álvaro Medrán (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Morales (Levante).
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Foul by Nacho (Real Madrid).
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David Barral (Levante) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Attempt saved. James Rodríguez (Real Madrid) left footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Goal!
Goal! Levante 0, Real Madrid 5. Isco (Real Madrid) right footed shot from outside the box to the high centre of the goal. Assisted by Javier Hernández.
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Corner, Levante. Conceded by Javier Hernández.
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Corner, Levante. Conceded by Asier Illarramendi.
Substitution
Substitution, Real Madrid. Álvaro Medrán replaces Luka Modric.
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Attempt missed. Víctor Pérez (Levante) right footed shot from outside the box is too high following a corner.
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Corner, Levante. Conceded by Pepe.
Substitution
Substitution, Levante. Jordi Xumetra replaces Rubén García.
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Attempt missed. Luka Modric (Real Madrid) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
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Attempt saved. Luka Modric (Real Madrid) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Substitution
Substitution, Real Madrid. Álvaro Arbeloa replaces Marcelo.
Post update
Foul by Nacho (Real Madrid).
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David Barral (Levante) wins a free kick on the right wing.
