Real Madrid inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo double as they crush Levante

Posted Sunday, October 19, 2014 by theguardian.com

Real Madrid inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo double as they crush Levante
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring for the second time in Real Madrid's 5-0 away win at Levante.

Cristiano Ronaldo maintained his blistering scoring form with two goals as Real Madrid strolled to an impresssive 5-0 victory over Levante in La Liga on Saturday.

The forward has 15 netted times in the first eight league games and Real move up to second in the table, a point behind the leaders, Barcelona, who they meet next weekend.

Ronaldo slotted home a penalty after 13 minutes following a foul by Juanfran on Javier Hernández and the Mexican striker headed in from close range before half-time.

After the break Ronaldo completed his brace with a run down the left wing and a clinical finish. James Rodríguez volleyed in the fourth after 65 minutes and Isco completed the rout with an 20-yard drive.

Lionel Messi, who celebrated 10 years since his Barcelona debut this week, has his sights set on Telmo Zarra’s La Liga scoring record when the Catalan side entertain Eibar later.

The Argentine is two behind the 251 scored by Zarra for Athletic Bilbao during the 1940s and 1950s.

The champions, Atlético Madrid, down in fifth place with 14 points from seven games, face Espanyol on Sunday.