It looked like Malaga were going to give Real Madrid a battle but after a straight red card in the 22nd minute Madrid pulled away from Malaga for a resounding 6-2 victory.
Real Madrid vs. Malaga: Final score 6-2, Los Merengues roll past 9-man Malaga
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 200th goal for Real Madrid as Los Merengues extended the title race just a little bit longer with a 6-2 win over 9-man Malaga.
Denis Doyle
Real Madrid jumped ahead quickly in the 3rd minute thanks to some poor marking by the Malaga defense. Mesut Özil’s corner found defender Raúl Albiol basically unmarked at the penalty spot and he headed the ball rather easily to the top right corner to give Madrid an early 1-0 lead.
Malaga recovered nicely though and equalized in the 15th minute on a set piece of their own. Isco's corner kick was headed on by Diego Lugano towards the far post where Roque Santa Cruz was lurking unmarked for a tap-in goal.
Malaga lost fullback Sergio Sánchez to a red card in the 21st minute after he dragged down Cristiano Ronaldo inside the area. The Portuguese striker's penalty kick was saved by Wilfredo Caballero, temporarily denying Ronaldo some history.
Four minutes later Malaga were harshly penalized for a questionable back pass, giving Madrid a indirect free kick from the corner of the six-yard box. Xabi Alonso gave the ball a slight tap and Ronaldo curled a wicked shot around the wall and a charging Caballero, putting Madrid back ahead 2-1.
The goal was Ronaldo’s 200th with Real Madrid and he becomes only the sixth player in the history of the club to reach that mark. Even more amazing is that it only took him 197 games.
The goals continued to come in the 33rd minute when Madrid hit Malaga on a counter attack following a corner. Özil led the charge moving into the Malaga area before creating space for himself with a ridiculous cutback that left Vitorino Antunes turning in circles. Özil quickly directed a shot to the lower left corner past Caballero, making it 3-1.
Malaga fought back again three minutes and pulled back within a goal at 3-2. Antunes received a back heel pass at the top of the area from Francisco Portillo and launched an absolute missile into the top right corner that Diego Lopez had zero chance of dealing with.
Because the game needed another twist in the first half, Malaga goalkeeper Caballero picked up an injury and couldn't continue forcing Carlos Kameni off the bench.
Another goal before halftime? Sure, why not.
Madrid caught the Malaga defensive line out and Ronaldo broke in on Kameni with a player on both sides. Ronaldo hesitated slightly drawing the goalkeeper off his line before passing right to Karim Benzema for the simple finish to make it 4-2.
Luka Modric got in on the fun in the 63rd minute beating Kameni from just outside the box with a low shot into the bottom corner, further expanding Madrid's advantage to 5-2.
In the 73rd minute central defender brought down Ronaldo just on the edge of the area and was shown his second yellow card of the match, leaving Malaga with nine men for the fine 17 minutes.
Angel Di Maria scored in stoppage time to finally give us our final score...because why not.
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