LALIGA CHAMPIONS MADRID BEAT RELEGATION SIDE LEVANTE MERCILESSLY IN A 6-0 ENCOUNTER.
Levante were relegated from LaLiga after Real Madrid ran riot in a 6-0 demolition job at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. Talismanic forward Karim Benzema moved level with Raúl as ‘Los Blancos’’ second-highest goalscorer, while Vinícius Júnior scored a hat-trick in a devastating display.
The visitors knew only a win would keep their survival hopes alive, and their recent record against Real was good, losing just three of the last nine league meetings. There were ominous signs early on, though, as Benzema fired from the edge of the box as he hunted down yet another record. The inevitable opener came through an unlikely source, as Luka Modrić played a gorgeous ball to release Ferland Mendy behind the defence, before the full-back finished with aplomb at the near post.
The floodgates had well and truly opened as Carlo Ancelotti’s men smelt blood. Benzema went close again, before he found his 323rd goal in Real colours, nodding home from close range after a pinpoint Vinícius cross. Modrić was running the game, providing Rodrygo with the easiest finish of his career, laying the ball on a plate for the Brazilian to tap-in from barely a yard out. The Croatian wasn’t finished there, adding a third assist of the half after his one-two allowed Vinícius to extend the lead to four by the break.
The ‘Frogs’ were hanging on for dear life before HT, with the woodwork denying Federico Valverde on three separate occasions. The Uruguayan was desperate for a goal, and blazed an effort over the bar before Rodrygo missed with a delicate chip that drifted wide. To their credit, Alessio Lisci’s side never gave up, but even their more stubborn resistance failed to deny the hosts a fifth in the second half. Benzema showed tremendous composure to round the goalkeeper before squaring for Vinícius to finish into an empty net. The Brazilian netted his third in the latter stages, slotting in at the near post to take his goal tally to 21 in all competitions.
A dominant display from Real banished any lasting discontent from the defeat in the Madrid derby, as the 13-time European champions looked in devastating form ahead of their UEFA Champions League final against Liverpool. Despite Levante’s significant upturn in form this calendar year, their defensive record of 72 goals conceded in their 36 games this campaign gave even their enterprising attack too much to do.
