Madrid: Karim Benzema scored twice and Marco Asensio added another on his return from a 10-month injury layoff as Real Madrid defeated Valencia 3-0 to keep pace with leader Barcelona in La Liga.
The home victory on Thursday left Madrid (62 points) two points behind Barcelona (64 points), which beat Leganes 2-0 on Tuesday for its second straight win after the pandemic break. Madrid took control of the match after a lacklustre first half in which Valencia had the most significant scoring chances and a goal disallowed by VAR.
Benzema opened the scoring in the 61st minute after a pass by Eden Hazard, who again was decisive for Madrid in his second match after a long spell on the sidelines. Asensio, making his first appearance since a serious knee injury last year, scored with his first touch, about 30 seconds after entering in the 74th minute.That is the way to come back, his teammates could be heard saying during the goal celebration at the empty Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium.
‘I couldn’t wait to come back after so many months of hard work,’ said Asensio, who was injured in a friendly last July. ‘I am glad that I am back and that I was able to score.’
Asensio also set up Benzema’s third goal with a onetouch cross on a counterattack, with the French striker finishing off the move sublimely. The latter flicked the ball away from a defender to hammer it into the top of the net. The Frenchman’s 16th league goal left him five behind scoring leader Lionel Messi (Barcelona).
It was the fifth double this season for Benzema, who passed Ferenc Puskas to become Madrid’s fifth leading scorer all-time.
Valencia went a man down in the 89th minute after a straight red card was shown to South Korean midfielder Lee Kang-in for a foul on Madrid defender Sergio Ramos.
A few moments later, midfielder Francis Coquelin had to leave injured after the team had already made all five substitutions.
Valencia (43 points) is winless after the break and dropped to eighth place. It had the best chances early on, with Rodrigo hitting the far post in the 14th minute. His goal, a few moments later, was disallowed by VAR after a close offside call. It was Madrid’s second straight game at its training centre, which is being used while the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium remains under renovation until the end of the season.
Meanwhile, Real Sociedad failed to regain fourth place in the standings after a 0-2 loss at Alaves in which it couldn’t get a single shot on target.
Borja Sainz broke the deadlock with a goal awarded following a video review in the 56th minute, and Martin Aguirregabiria sealed the victory deep in stoppage time at the Mendizorroza Stadium. A victory would have sent Sociedad (47 points) past fourth-placed Atletico Madrid (49 points), which won 5-0 at Osasuna on Wednesday. Instead, it stayed sixth, two points from the final Champions League spot.