Real Madrid waited five long years to clinch another Spanish La Liga title. This year, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema worked together to make sure the crown belonged to them. It was a solid win for the team in Malaga, with a 2-0 score. It was in 2012 when Real Madrid last won the title and the team’s 33rd league title win overall.
Not a walk in the park for Real Madrid
The team’s stars did not disappoint. It only took Cristiano Ronaldo about 90 seconds to score Real Madrid’s first point. But it was a hard-fought battle throughout the game. Malaga kept up a good fight. Ronaldo came into the game with a record of 11 goals in the past 9 final matches. Karim Benzema sealed their victory when he kicked the ball early in the second half of play.
The play looked easy in the opening. Real Madrid’s attacking midfielder Isco (Francisco Román Alarcón Suárez) threaded a pass in the gap between two center backs of Malaga and Ronaldo quickly ran to the ball. He rounded up Carlos Kameni of Malaga before he kicked the ball through the empty goal. It was the 15th goal of Ronaldo for the last 15 league games he had played and this season’s 40th goal for Real Madrid’s star player.
The second goal came courtesy of Karim Benzema almost right after the break. Kameni parried the shot of Real Madrid’s captain Sergio Ramos and Benzema took advantage of it.
Second place for Barça
Barcelona had won the Spanish La Liga title for the past two years. This time, Barcelona beat Eibar 4-2 and was close to winning the title once again. However, their win was dependent on Real Madrid slipping up.
It was also a great win for Zinedine Zidane who only just had his first full season as the coach of Real Madrid. He repeated the feat of Jose Mourinho in 2012, when he led the team to victory in the Spanish league.
Last April during El Clasico, Barca bested Real. It regenerated the hope of the team and their fans that they’ll have a chance to regain the La Liga title. However, that hope was denied early because the last six games of the league were won by Real Madrid and they were up in the ladder by three points.
What’s next?
With Zidane at the helm, Real Madrid won the Champions League tournament six months ago. They need to beat Juventus in their game in Cardiff to defend their title and hold the prestige of being the first team to do so.
Coach Zidane said that the win is very important to the team, since it’s been a while since they’ve held the Spanish La Liga trophy aloft. He added that the win just sealed the fact that Real Madrid is the world’s best football club.
Real Madrid’s stars like Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema are always dependable. However, the team is starting to be less reliant on its star players, with Alvaro Morata, Isco and others showing their star quality. It’s to be noted that for this season’s La Liga, there were 19 different players who scored for the team.
Real Madrid had 93 points for this year’s league campaign while second placer Barcelona had 90 points. Atlético de Madrid had 78, Sevilla had 72 and Villareal and Real Sociedad had 67 and 64 points, respectively.
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