Getafe 1-2 Real Madrid: match report, result, how it happened

Cristiano Ronaldo read the script and delivered his lines with timing that was far from comic for Getafe but put a smile on Zinedine Zidane’s face as Real Madrid avoided another Liga slip-up in the Coliseum against José Bordalás’ gladatorial side.

That script had been delivered by leaders Barcelona, who had also been given a heavyweight’s work-out in the capital by a side who are no strangers to punching above their weight. This Getafe side is a far cry from the Azulones’ glory days, when successive Copa del Rey finals were punctuated by a run in the Uefa Cup that ended only at the hands of Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals.

However, Bordalás knew what to expect from Real Madrid and set up his side accordingly with two blocks of four clicking into place like steel plates whenever the visiting side had the ball. It was not a subtle tactic and neither was the approach of the home side, who racked up 23 fouls over the course of the contest. But it almost paid dividends and Getafe were forced into an early rethink through the loss of Álvaro Jiménez, the former Real canterano who was forced off with a rib injury after a robust challenge from Sergio Ramos with only 14 minutes played.

Benzema equals Paco Gento's mark for Madrid

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Still, Getafe stuck to their rehearsal and limited Real’s chances in the early exchanges, Ronaldo’s stinging drive the only tangible reward for the visitors’ relentless probing. Vicente Guaita was equal to that and the Geta keeper had an excellent game but even he was powerless to prevent Karim Benzema from opening the scoring. Picking up a loose ball in midfield with the clock ticking towards half time, the striker skipped one challenge with a deft touch, surged forward and picked his spot at the far post to score his 182nd Liga goal, matching Paco Gento's mark and joining the Real great in seventh in the all-time list.

Getafe could have been expected to buckle from the blow but the home side came out with more intent in the second half and had Real on the ropes for a spell, which culminated in the equaliser. The visitors’ back four were unable to deal with a low cross after Marcelo had failed to snuff out the danger on the left and in a tangle of boots and flailing arms Jorge Molina got the final touch to steer the ball into the corner.

Zidane belatedly rang the changes, sending on Theo Hernández and Isco to shake up an attack that had been stymied for most of the half but it was the familiar figure of Ronaldo who should have had the ball in the back of the net a minute later when he was presented with a chance at the far post, a yard out and with Guaita scurrying across his line helplessly. Inexplicably, the Portuguese failed to turn his shot the right side of the post.

As the clock ticked down it seemed that Real were heading for another Liga draw, and potentially a nine-point deficit on Barcelona, when Isco produced his magic wand to send a ball over the top of the Getafe defence. Ronaldo saw his intention, followed its flight, glanced at Guaita and shrugged off a challenge to bury a low shot past the Getafe keeper.

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It was victory in extremis, and Real still look a pale shadow of the side that conquered Spain and Europe last season, but that will not worry Zidane on Saturday evening. There will be time for that on Sunday, when he starts to plan for the visit of Tottenham in the Champions League.

Getafe 1-2 Real Madrid live stream online: as it happened