Malaga

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Cristiano Ronaldo 36

Cristiano Ronaldo 39

Cristiano Ronaldo Red Carded

Real Madrid 2 Malaga 0 – Match Report

The good, a brace of goals, and the bad, a red card, of Cristiano Ronaldo illuminate the Bernabeu

Cristiano Ronaldo scored both his side’s goals before being sent off as Real Madrid trimmed the gap to leaders Barcelona back to five points with a victory over Malaga.

Ronaldo had struck twice in quick succession in the first half to put Madrid on their way to a 10th consecutive home win this season, but he was then handed his marching orders in the 70th minute.

The world’s most expensive player, who was also sent off against Almeria in December after picking up two late bookings, was shown a straight red card after catching Patrick Mtiliga in the face with a flailing elbow as he attempted to escape from the Malaga defender.

The 10 men of Madrid held on without the former Manchester United man though to cut the difference to Barca, who beat Real Valladolid 3-0 on Saturday.

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Madrid rode their luck early on, not least in the eighth minute when Sergio Duda’s cross deflected off Xabi Alonso’s head and struck the crossbar with Iker Casillas stranded.

Madrid were struggling, and their only effort of note in the opening 30 minutes saw stand-in captain Guti bring a superb one-handed save out of Gustavo Munua.

The whole complexion of the game changed in the 35th minute though when Madrid took the lead through a well-worked goal.

Guti started the move and three of Madrid’s big summer signings – Karim Benzema, Kaka and Ronaldo – finished it off, with the latter slotting home Kaka’s low cross.

That goal was the Portugal international’s first of 2010 and eighth in La Liga this season, and it took him just four more minutes to add another.

While the first strike was very much a team goal, the second was Ronaldo at his individual best.

Guti played the ball into Ronaldo 25 yards out and the £80million man took one touch before unleashing an unstoppable dipping shot that flew into the top corner with Munua powerless to stop it.

Ronaldo had a chance to notch a hat-trick when Madrid won a free-kick on the edge of the Malaga area just before the break.

However, Munua was in the right place to parry the winger’s well-struck effort.

In contrast to earlier on, Madrid finished the half brimming with confidence and they carried that into the start of the second as well.

Alonso headed a corner over six yards out before Sergio Ramos had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside as Manuel Pellegrini’s side sought a quick third.

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Malaga continued to pose a threat though, and Duda wasted a great shooting chance when, with just Casillas to beat, he tried to cut inside and was tackled by Raul Albiol.

The visitors, who had not won away this season but were unbeaten in the league since November 1, were making it difficult for Madrid and life became even more complicated for the hosts when Ronaldo was dismissed.

The Portugal international could not believe the decision but his match was over, just as it was for Mtiliga who left the field whilst trying to stem the bleeding from a face wound and was immediately replaced by Francisco Portillo.

That left Madrid to see out the final 20 minutes with a man less, but they managed to hold on without two many scares and could even have added to the scoreline through Alonso, Albiol and Esteban Granero. - sources: Dailymail