Now that the international break is over and done with, thoughts can turn to the final ten games of La Liga and the title race it will decide. Real Madrid are rank outsiders compared with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, but have the weight of being Real Madrid. No matter their form or strength, they can never be discounted.
They sat third in La Liga pre-game, two points behind Barcelona and six behind Atletico. They were the first of the three to play this weekend, taking on Eibar at Valdebebas, so had the advantage of potentially gaining a psychological edge. Victory would have seen them move three points behind Atletico and one ahead of Barcelona, as well as pulling eight clear of Sevilla.
Madrid started well and put pressure on their visitors, but failed to break them down legally initially. They had two goals disallowed inside the first half, with Karim Benzema seeing his effort ruled out before Marco Asensio suffered the same fate. Asensio got his goal soon after, however, when Casemiro seized on a loose ball in midfield before putting it on a plate for the man from the Balearic Islands to finish.
Madrid weren’t in cruise control, however, and nearly conceded, with no help from the weather conditions, shortly after the hour mark only for Thibaut Courtois to save the day. Karim Benzema was then on hand, however, to score in his seventh consecutive game and make it 2-0 to Madrid, all but sealing the victory.
Karim Benzema likely seals the win for Real Madrid! 💥
That's 8 in his last 6 LaLiga games 🔥 pic.twitter.com/TDsM8evKCc
— Premier Sports 📺 (@PremierSportsTV) April 3, 2021
