Real Madrid vs. Granada: Score and Reaction from 2017 La Liga Match

Real Madrid moved six points clear at the top of La Liga on Saturday and equalled a Spanish record in the process, as they hammered Granada 5-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu. 

A brace from Isco sandwiched strikes from Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo in a devastating 19-minute spell, giving Madrid a 4-0 lead at the break. Casemiro added a fifth after half-time, before Madrid shut the game down in the last half an hour.

The result means Zinedine Zidane’s side have now gone 39 games without defeat in all competitions, equalling the Spanish record that Barcelona set between 2015 and 2016.

Ahead of the game, Madrid talisman Cristiano Ronaldo was presented with his Ballon d’Or award, with Luis Figo, Ronaldo, Michael Owen and Zidane himself alongside the Portuguese, per Kieran Canning of Agence France-Presse:

The Madrid greats out to hand over Ronaldo’s 4th Balón d’Or. Kopa, Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo….OWEN???? pic.twitter.com/OUOTYPFThs

— Kieran Canning (@KieranCanning) January 7, 2017

When the action started, the match slipped into an expected pattern, with Madrid pinning back their opponents for long spells. In the 12th minute, they turned their dominance into something tangible.

Isco robbed Sergi Samper in midfield, with Toni Kroos then moving the ball to Benzema. The Frenchman then picked out Isco’s forward run perfectly, and the 24-year-old finished powerfully under Guillermo Ochoa.

Nine minutes later, Real doubled their advantage. With Granada so deep in their own …

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