Real Madrid-Deportivo live stream online: LaLiga, week 20
Don't miss a minute of the action as Real Madrid host Deportivo in the Bernabéu on Sunday January 21, 2017 with kick-off at 16:15 CET.
Real Madrid put on a show at the Bernabéu on Sunday afternoon as Zinedine Zidane’s side put an accommodating Depor to the sword in a crushing 7-1 victory, matching their highest margin of victory in all competitions this season as the visitors crumbled after half time.
Depor started brightly and duly took the lead as Real back four threw a defensive spanner into the works to make things interesting. Receiving the ball on the right, Lucas Perez cut inside after Dani Carvajal has bounced off Florin Andone like a man jumping into an upright trampoline and the Spaniard got the better of Raphael Varane before squaring for the unmarked Adrián, Marcelo guilty of ball-watching and completely unaware of the former Atlético man lurking at the far post where he knocked the ball into a gaping net.
Real turn the tide
The Bernabéu was quick to round on their side as the prospect of another Liga disaster loomed large but it was not long before the jeers turned to cheers. Nacho, the ever-dependable stop-gap in defence, popped up at the other end to stroke home confidently after Real pulled off an intricate training ground routine from a corner. Bale then put the home side ahead with a wonderful curling effort after the ball broke to the Welshman just inside the area. A look, a touch to set himself up and a wave of his left boot and Rubén could only admire helplessly.
The Depor keeper has kept his side in the contest with a string of fine saves up to the break, diverting first a Cristiano Ronaldo header on to the bar and then a Marcelo effort low onto his upright. After the restart though the alluring waft of a goleada reached the home side’s nostrils and they set about their goal-fest with all the gusto of Obelix tucking into a valedictory boar.
Bale added his second on 57 minutes to essentially end Depor’s resistance, rising above the visiting defence to head home from a Toni Kroos corner. Ten minutes later Luka Modric got in on the act with a glorious effort from the edge of the area after being cleverly teed up by Ronaldo.
The visitors had two chances to reduce the deficit at the other end and both fell to Andone, who managed to fluff his first bite of the cherry from point blank range on the turn and then saw his second effort cleared off the line by the excellent Nacho after the Romanian had picked Casemiro’s pocket.
Ronaldo off after Schär tangle
Ronaldo ended his recent woes in front of goal by side-footing a Casemiro cross into the roof of the net to make it 5-1 and from there it was only a question of how many Madrid would score. Ronaldo thought he had added a second minutes later and made his displeasure with the linesman’s raised flag perfectly clear but was on the score sheet again soon enough as he cut across Fabian Schär to glance a fine header past Rubén. The Portuguese paid a heavy price for his bravery, receiving the full force of Schär’s boot in his face in the act and was forced off with blood flowing from a nasty cut below his right eye.
Even with 10 men, Real looked desperate to add a final flourish to the score line and fell to Nacho to provide it, and there were none more deserving on the day. The canterano found himself with a yard to exploit on the left and turned sharply to hammer a low shot past Rubén.
Zidane will be pleased with the manner of his side’s victory, coming from behind to win for the first time this season in the league, but it remains to be seen if this was a new dawn or simply the application of some expensive wrapping paper to the cracks of Real’s Liga title defence. Depor made a gift of the result in the second half. Mestalla will provide a much sterner test for Madrid next weekend.