Man of the moment Marco Asensio scored twice and Cristiano Ronaldo was also on target on Sunday as Real Madrid kept up the feel-good factor with a thrilling 5-3 victory at Real Betis Balompie in La Liga.
Madrid had been 2-1 down at halftime in a fantastic game at the Estadio Benito Villamarin, but they came roaring back in the second half with Sergio Ramos, Asensio — who had scored the opener — Ronaldo and Karim Benzema all finding the net.
They survived a late Betis onslaught and after their 3-1 UEFA Champions League round-of-16, first-leg win against Paris Saint-Germain last week, the victory confirmed that Zinedine Zidane’s side are looking better in La Liga now, too.
Photo: Reuters
They remain fourth, a huge 17 points behind leaders Barcelona, but it was their fourth win in five league outings and they are back to within a point of third-placed Valencia with a game in hand to come at CD Leganes tomorrow.
“It was an end-to-end game, a bit crazy, but I like that. It shows that we had proper opponents,” Zidane said. “Betis were fantastic and controlled the last half-hour of the first half, but I’m happy in the end and I prefer to focus on the five goals we scored rather than the three we let in.”
Asensio had come off the bench to set up the two late goals that allowed Real to beat Paris Saint-Germain and he was rewarded with a start in Seville, while Gareth Bale also came in as the likes of Benzema and Luka Modric dropped to the bench.
Asensio duly headed Madrid into an 11th-minute lead after Antonio Adan had saved a Ronaldo shot, but Betis had won when the sides last met at the Santiago Bernabeu and they hit back brilliantly.
Loren and Joaquin, the latter from a free-kick, both came close before Aissa Mandi headed in a Joaquin cross to make it 1-1 in the 33rd minute.
It was 2-1 shortly after, as visiting defender Nacho could only help a Junior shot into his own net as the home fans in the crowd of more than 53,000 erupted.
Real also saw Marcelo limp off in the first half, a potentially worrying sign ahead of the Champions League second leg, and Zidane confirmed the Brazilian would find out the extent of his injury yesterday.
Real Madrid recovered superbly after the restart, though.
Ramos, whose Sevilla past always ensures a hot reception from the Betis fans, leveled with a bullet header from a Lucas Vazquez corner.
Dani Carvajal then set up Asensio for his second and Real’s third as the hour mark approached, before Ronaldo smashed in their fourth in the 65th minute.
The Portuguese has now scored 10 times his past six La Liga and Champions League games.
Betis might lack the consistency to properly contest a European place, but they do provide entertainment, and Cristian Tello set up fellow substitute Sergio Leon to make it 4-3 late on.
Benzema, on from the bench, completed the scoring at the death.
Earlier, Kevin Gameiro came off the bench in the second half to score one goal and make another for Diego Costa as second-placed Atletico Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0.
It was another clinical performance from Diego Simeone’s side, who have now recorded four consecutive league victories, all without conceding a goal.
They remain second, seven points behind leaders Barcelona.
“We are not stopping, we are playing well at the moment and we are enjoying ourselves,” Gameiro said when asked about his team’s pursuit of Barcelona.
Atletico, who have conceded a paltry nine goals in 24 La Liga games this season, will hope to stay within striking distance of Barcelona before traveling to the Camp Nou early next month.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely