Real Madrid win ahead of key Paris game
Zinedine Zidane fielded his regular starters before the Paris Saint-Germain match and Real Madrid will travel to France boosted by a good performance by their stars and a comfortable win in the Spanish league.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice and Gareth Bale once as Madrid eased past 10-man Getafe 3-1.
Madrid face PSG in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday, leading 3-1 from the first leg.
“It was important to win before a match like we have on Tuesday,” Zidane said.
Ronaldo became the fastest player to reach 300 goals in La Liga, taking his tally to 301 in 286 matches. He goes to Paris having scored 10 goals in his last five matches in all competitions.
Madrid are in a fight for third place with Valencia, who are only four points behind going into their home match against Real Betis.
Spanish leader Barcelona hosts second-place Atletico Madrid to defend its fivepoint advantage.
Zidane rested Ronaldo and other starters this week when they lost at Espanyol 1-0.
He played with the “BBC” trio of Karim Benzema, Bale, and Ronaldo on Saturday, a sign of his possible lineup for the match against PSG. Left back Marcelo returned from injury as a second-half substitute.
Bale opened the scoring from close range in the 24th minute. Ronaldo made a pair of nice moves to clear defenders inside the area in firsthalf injury time for his first. His second goal was a header in the 78th from a pass by Marcelo.
Ronaldo, who had a goal disallowed for offside midway through the second half, was substituted shortly after his second goal.
Getafe’s lone goal was a 65th-minute penalty kick converted by Francisco Portillo.
Getafe, 10th in the standings, played a man down from the 47th after striker Loic Remy was sent off for a reckless foul on Nacho Fernandez.
Girona’s impressive debut in the league continued in beating Villarreal 2-0, a result that put the modest Catalan club in position to make it to the Europa League.
Christian Stuani and substitute Anthony Lozano scored for Girona, who moved to seventh place and the final qualification spot for the second-tier European competition.
It was the fourth win in six matches for Girona, who are one point behind sixth-place Villarreal and five behind fifth-place Sevilla. Villarreal lost their second straight game.
Girona, whose main goal at the beginning of the season was to avoid demotion, are 20 points clear of the relegation zone with 11 matches remaining.
The teams in fifth and sixth place receive an automatic spot in the Europa league, while the seventh-place team enters a qualifying round.
Deportivo La Coruna’s winless streak under coach Clarence Seedorf increased to five matches after drawing with Eibar 1-1 at home.