Cristiano Ronaldo hit a hat-trick as Real Madrid swept aside Malaga 4-0 with a first-half blitz to go top of the Spain La Liga table on Saturday.
It was a battle between the newly rich Malaga, who invested heavily in the summer as they aim for a place in Europe, and the old order, but it turned into a mismatch as Real cruised to victory.
Gonzalo Higuain, who has hit two hat-tricks in his last two games for Real, as well as another in between for Argentina, sent the visitors on their way after 10 minutes before Ronaldo stole the show with three goals in 15 minutes.
He side-footed home an Angel di Maria cross and then fired in from the edge of the area before completing his hat-trick with an acrobatic flick from close range. Former Real striker Ruud van Nistelrooy was a surprise exclusion from the Malaga starting XI but he would have found it difficult to make a difference anyway as Real ran riot and the Malaga strikers saw little of the ball.
After the break Real relaxed and Malaga were able to exert themselves more but with a four-goal deficit, the game was already won.
Joaquin Sanchez and Seba Fernandez both hit the woodwork for the home side but they were unable to manage even a consolation.
Real lead the La Liga table with 19 points but Barcelona can re-take top spot later on Saturday when they face Sevilla.
Barca can expect a difficult game but they have home advantage and a defence that appears a lot more solid after a shaky start to the campaign.
They are now looking for their sixth straight clean sheet, which would be a new record for the club.
“We are doing very well at the back, winning the ball back quickly and pressing hard,” said goalkeeper Victor Valdes.
“The key is to win against Sevilla but I am aware of the record because all the media is talking about it.”
Bottom side Sporting Gijon finally gave themselves reason to cheer with a 2-0 win over Granada, although they remain a point adrift in the table.
Sporting had picked up just one point from seven games going into their clash with Granada, who are another early favourite for the drop, but they set off at a lightning pace.
David Barral pounced in the box to put Sporting ahead with five minutes gone and while Alexandre Geijo saw a shot come back off the post for Granada, the home side wrapped up the win before half-time through Andre Castro.
A Sergio Garcia strike mid-way through the second half gave Espanyol a 1-0 win away to Racing Santander that takes them up to eighth in the table, while Racing are still looking for their first win.
Racing Santander 0 Espanyol 1
Sporting Gijon 2 Grenada 0
Malaga 0 Real Madrid 4
Barcelona 0 Sevilla 0
They are the current leading soccer tipsters in this month competition. See also tipsters rankings.
13ulisse
posts a 1X2 tip on Vissel Kobe vs Kyoto Sanga 2 minutes ago |
|
13ulisse
posts a 1X2 tip on Cooma Tigers vs Canberra Olympic 14 minutes ago |
|
13ulisse
posts a 1X2 tip on Cooma Tigers vs Canberra Olympic 17 minutes ago |
|
13ulisse
posts a Over / Under tip on Lambton Jaffas vs Valentine 18 minutes ago |
|
13ulisse
posts a Over / Under tip on Cooma Tigers vs Canberra Olympic 18 minutes ago |
|
kmagom
posts a In-Play 1X2 tip on Consadole Sapporo vs Shonan Bellmare 23 minutes ago |
|
kmagom
posts a In-Play 1X2 tip on Consadole Sapporo vs Shonan Bellmare 23 minutes ago |
|
13ulisse
posts a Over / Under tip on Consadole Sapporo vs Shonan Bellmare 29 minutes ago |
|
argy78
posts a 1X2 tip on Avondale Heights vs Green Gully 1 hour and 19 minutes ago |
|
frank_senso
posts a In-Play Last Team to Score tip on Peru U20 W vs Argentina U20 W 1 hour and 23 minutes ago |
Upcoming football matches with excellent head to head records over their opponents.
Auckland City vs Western Springs |
Sign in to view more football matches.
Football clubs who play better for their home games H2H.
Parceiro Nagano vs Giravanz Kitakyushu |
Sign in to view more football matches.
Football clubs that play well for their away games.
Ehime vs Ventforet Kofu |
Sign in to view more football matches.
Motivated teams after winning five matches in a row or they have maintained a ten-match unbeaten run. The bookmakers label them as favourites for a reason.
Teams in crisis after five consecutive defeats or they did not win their last ten football matches. You should avoid betting on these underdogs.
Teams having a draw in the last five matches.
Teams that have not lost at home matches.
Abia Warriors |
Sign in to view more football teams.
Teams that have not won at away matches.
Abergavenny Town |
Sign in to view more football teams.
This tipsters ranking is based on single picks excluding doubles and multi accumulators. For the full ranking click here.
Tipsters with consecutive winnings in their recent predictions.
Tipsters whom have lost a few matches in a row. Bad luck you call it.
I like soccer punter because it's free, enjoyable and no risk taking, you just give out your predictions without any charges,also it gives rewards to its members and upgrade them to platninum levels.
From as little as $1 per soccer tip.
|
Arbitrage is an effective way to make guaranteed profits without losing your money.
Analyze soccer matches, inclusive of past results, head to head stats, today match fixtures, live soccer odds, players and team form.
Check the latest and fastest live score results for all football matches. Know who are the goalscorers, yellow card and red card offenders.
Read up these useful tips for soccer betting.
Get the listings of soccer leagues and competitions for each region, including past seasons results and football statistics.
Want to bet on a match today? Check out the list of today match fixtures.
Read MoreGet the match results for all the soccer matches around the globe. Inclusive of half-time, full-time results.
Read MoreAre you an expert in soccer betting? Join SoccerPunter Tipsters competition to challenge against the top football tipsters and win prizes!
Read MoreCopyright © 2002-2024 SoccerPunter Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved.
Be the first to comment: