Real Madrid secured their 16th consecutive victory against Malaga, which is now a new record for the club.
While Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t continue his magnificent scoring run in the fixture, he did provide two assists for Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale to finish the all important goals in the fixture.
The Portuguese striker crossed the ball for Karim Benzema to head home the first goal in the 18th minute. This was the 11th goal that Karim Benzema had scored in his last 11 matches in all competitions for the club.
Then with seven minutes left, Gareth Bale sealed victory after Cristiano Ronaldo headed the ball on to the Welsh winger, who firmly finished while on the break.
Real Madrid’s victory was slightly marred after Isco was sent off with only a few minutes left. And their new record even looked slightly under threat when Roque Santa Cruz headed in a late goal for Malaga too.
However, they were able to hold out, and in the process, they bettered the 15 match winning sequences that Jose Mourinho and Miguel Munoz recorded in 2011 and 1961, respectively.
Despite the fact that he didn’t actually score in the contest, 29-year-old Ronaldo still played a huge role in the victory. He actually should have had a goal and even more assists, thanks to his efforts on the pitch. However, Malaga’s goalkeeper, Carlos Kameni, thwarted Real Madrid on numerous occasions with sensational saves.
Malaga had their own chances too, with long-range shots troubling Iker Casillas in the Real Madrid goal. Real Madrid also started to look nervous in the final stages, before Gareth Bale gave the European Champions an unassailable advantage.
According to Real Madrid , after the game, their manger, Carlo Ancelotti, was clearly very proud of his achievements. Especially since they have gone on this run after a rather poor start to the season, which saw them lose their first two out of the opening three matches.
“This is like a dream, but it is reality. We are very happy with this run of form and it will hopefully continue. People will give me the credit for this, but the key to the record is that I am fortunate to coach a fantastic team, fantastic players and work at a fantastic club. I have deep admiration for these players and we have to continue like this because it is a very long season.”
[Image via Minuto 30]