Real Madrid maintained their title hopes in La Liga with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Eibar.
Zinedine Zidane’s side had two efforts disallowed before the break and also hit the post through Marco Asensio before the Spain midfielder gave them the lead.
Karim Benzema scored another deep into the second half as they closed to within three points of leaders Atletico Madrid.
Real Madrid 2-0 Eibar: Player Ratings, Match Stats, Player Stats
Karim Benzema got the goal that secured Real Madrid’s success. Who else would find the target for them, after all?
The Frenchman had a rather quiet match overall, heading over shortly after the break, but he converted after good work from substitute Vinicius Junior to secure the points in what had proven to be an awkward encounter until that moment.
Replaced after 61 minutes, but Asensio packed a lot into that hour on the field.
Of course, the highlight arrived just before the break. He deftly controlled a through pass from Casemiro, allowing him to escape a defender, before drilling a shot into the far post.
Moments before, he had a goal disallowed for offside and even earlier a free kick had rattled the bar. In the second half, he saw a powerful shot repelled by the goalkeeper.
Real Madrid benefited from their South American players getting a break over the international period, so perhaps it should come as no surprise that Casemiro was their outstanding player over the course of this game.
The Brazilian has been a key figure for Madrid throughout this season and he had a decisive role to play in this game as he set up Asensio’s winner.
Real Madrid 2-0 Eibar: Player Ratings, Match Stats, Player Stats
