Real Madrid 3 - 0 Alaves: Real Madrid strengthen their position at the top of LaLiga

Posted Monday, April 03, 2017 by PA

Real Madrid strengthened their grip on top spot in LaLiga after goals from Karim Benzema, Isco and Nacho secured them a 3-0 win over Alaves at the Bernabeu.

Real - who started the weekend two points clear of second-placed Barcelona, with a game in hand over them - took the lead through Benzema's strike in the 31st minute.

For much of the time thereafter Zinedine Zidane's men were far from convincing, and mid-table Alaves created several chances to equalise, only to be let down by poor finishing.

That profligacy was then punished late on, with Isco firing home Real's second in the 85th minute and Nacho heading in three minutes later, following up when Gareth Bale's free-kick came back off the bar.

The hosts had a series of attempts on goal in the opening stages, but struggled to find any accuracy.

Cristiano Ronaldo looped a shot over in the first minute from outside the box, and there were subsequent strikes off-target from Benzema, Bale, via a free-kick, Dani Carvajal, who had been brought on in the 11th minute for the injured Raphael Varane, and Isco.

Ronaldo brought the first save out of Alaves goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco in the 27th minute as he cut in from the left to produce a low shot, and soon after, Benzema had broken the deadlock by smashing in from Carvajal's cut-back. There was a suspicion of offside in the build-up, but the effort stood.

Things looked very much set up at that point for Real to continue moving through the gears, and Ronaldo saw a free-kick deflect over before Bale side-footed wide in the dying seconds of the first half, with it looking as if a penalty could have been awarded for Zouhair Feddal's tackle on him as he shot but nothing being given.

However, as the second half got under way, it was Alaves who were increasingly on the front foot.

Deyverson, who had missed with a header towards the end of the first half, did the same again from a better position shortly after the interval.

And moments on from a Ronaldo strike being ruled out for offside, Deyverson once more headed off-target when he might have done better.

Edgar then passed up two decent opportunities to level the match as he sent one shot wide and another tamely into the arms of Kiko Casilla.

Manu Garcia was next to make an unsuccessful attempt for the visitors as he headed wide, before Real began to get a grip on proceedings again in the final 15 minutes.

After Ronaldo skewed a strike wide and Bale stretched to meet a cross with an effort that looked as if it might have clipped the outside of the post, the former played a fine through-ball to Isco, who took a touch before emphatically rifling into the roof of the net.

And moments later the victory was wrapped up as Nacho reacted swiftly when Bale cracked a free-kick against the woodwork.