Karim Benzema bagged a brace as Real Madrid continued
their impressive start to the Primera Division season
with an entertaining 4-2 victory against Getafe at the
Bernabeu.
Cristiano Ronaldo and substitute Gonzalo Higuain were
also on target, the former improving his record to 15
goals in his last six league games and eight in four
against Getafe with a controversial penalty on the hour
mark.
Miku netted a cool double for Getafe but it was not
enough to prevent his side slipping to defeat.
Jose Mourinho's side headed into the encounter knowing
Barcelona had dropped two points in a 2-2 draw at Real
Sociedad earlier in the evening, and looked keen from
the outset to steal an early march on the champions.
Angel Di Maria burst into the area in the fourth minute
only to be denied by the feet of Miguel Moya from the
right side of the six-yard box, and then he cut inside
and unleashed a left-footed shot into the side-netting.
The lively Argentinian turned provider in the 10th
minute with a cross for Ronaldo, whose powerful header
from 12 yards was tipped over by Moya.
There was a chink of light for Getafe at the other
end two minutes later when Miku got clear, but he took
too long over his shot and Sergio Ramos got back to
block.
However, in the 14th minute, Madrid went ahead with
a well-worked goal.
Mesut Ozil was influential in a neat move also involving
Marcelo and Fabio Coentrao, the German eventually teeing
it up for Benzema to take a touch and place into the
top-right corner.
Coentrao should have doubled the hosts' lead in the
34th minute when he was played in by Marcelo down the
left-hand side of the area, but he dinked his shot just
wide.
For all their dominance, Madrid remained only one goal
clear and that lead was almost wiped out eight minutes
before the interval when Marcelo, in an attempt to cut
out a right-wing cross, sent a looping header over Iker
Casillas but was saved by the woodwork.
That should have served as a warning to Mourinho's
side as to how slender their advantage was, but two
minutes later they were pegged back. Mehdi Lacen fed
a slick ball through to Miku - who was onside despite
the Madrid protests - and he slotted past a helpless
Casillas and into the bottom-left corner.
Coentrao passed up a gilt-edged chance to restore Madrid's
lead early in the second half, his follow-up finding
only the side-netting after Ronaldo's shinned overhead-kick
from Benzema's cross had come back off the inside of
the post.
The hosts had the ball in the visitors' net in the
54th minute but Coentrao - again at the centre of things
- was adjudged offside when Benzema's ball deflected
in off him.
Getafe were still very much in the game, though, and
required Casillas to beat away another blast from Miku
in the 56th minute.
The tide turned in Madrid's favour for good, however,
when referee Carlos Clos Gomez awarded the hosts a penalty
for a supposed foul by Cata Diaz on Ronaldo, although
any contact looked to be outside the box.
The former Manchester United man picked himself up
to send the spot-kick into the bottom-right corner.
Ronaldo then helped his side extend their lead with
a sublime cross-field pass for Benzema, who was left
with a straightforward finish to make it 3-1.
Getafe refused to lie down, though, and it was game
on again in the 73rd minute when substitute Dani Guiza
saw his shot parried by Casillas and Miku kept his composure
to steer home the rebound with his left foot.
Higuain had had to wait patiently on the bench for
86 minutes but, when he eventually came on in place
of Ozil, he needed only two minutes to make his mark.
The Argentinian got the better of Juan Valera and Miguel
Torres on the edge of the box before firing a low shot
past Moya to seal the win.
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