Real Madrid have put their shock defeat to Girona firmly in the rear view mirror, as they bounced back to defeat Almeria 4-2 on Saturday evening.
Carlo Ancelotti would have demanded a reaction from his side, and he certainly got it, as Real Madrid took the lead inside the opening five minutes. Brilliant work from Vinicius Junior allowed Karim Benzema to tap home from close range.
Benzema made it 2-0 soon after, but the goal came around thanks to Rodrygo. The Brazilian showed excellent skill to keep the ball in the Almeria box, and he laid it off to Benzema who fired past Fernando Martinez.
Benzema completed his hat-trick just before half time. Lucas Vazquez was inexplicably fouled by Largie Ramazani inside the Almeria area, and Benzema scored from the penalty spot to make it a perfect afternoon for himself.
However, it would not be a perfect afternoon for Real Madrid, as they conceded at the very end of the first half, with Ramazani setting up Lazaro for a simple finish past the returning Thibaut Courtois.
Three minutes into the second half, Rodrygo restored Real Madrid’s three-goal advantage, finishing brilliantly from the edge of the box past Martinez. However, Almeria did get another goal back through Lucas Robertone.
Despite conceding twice, it was a very good performance from Real Madrid, and one that should build momentum ahead of a crucial few weeks in their season.
Image via Pablo Garcia
