Brilliant Benzema helps Madrid go 2 points clear of Barca
Joseph Wilson Associated Press
A brilliant back-heeled pass by Karim Benzema helped Real Madrid take a step toward reclaiming the Spanish league title on Sunday night with a 1-0 win at Espanyol.
With Espanyol about to make it to halftime with a clean sheet, Benzema cleverly unlocked the hosts’ defence. He used a no-look pass with his heel to poke the ball through the legs of defender Bernardo Espinosa and meet Casemiro’s move into the heart of the box.
Casemiro’s resulting goal and some flawless defending were all Madrid needed to win and move ahead of Barcelona by two points at the top of the table.
“I see things, that is what football is to me,” Benzema said about the goal. “The assist is good, but Casemiro puts it in and gave us the three points. (This win) is very important. I won’t say that we don’t pay attention to Barca, of course we do, but we are focused on our matches and each game left is a final for us.”
Zinedine Zidane’s team took advantage of Barcelona’s 2-2 draw at Celta Vigo on Saturday by securing a fifth straight win since the league resumed following a three-month stoppage as Spain contained its COVID-19 outbreak.
The title rivals have six games left. Madrid holds the tiebreaker on head-to-head results in the event they finish level on points. The run-in seems tougher for defending champion Barcelona, which faces third-place Atlético Madrid today at Camp Nou. Lastplace Espanyol appears headed for the second division after falling 10 points from safety.
Sunday’s matches continued to be closed to fans due to the coronavirus pandemic, like all games in Spain since the competition resumed two weeks ago. An accelerated schedule has games every three days in order to finish the season by July 19.
Paco Alcácer and Gerard Moreno scored two superb goals to help Villarreal beat regional rival Valencia 2-0 and stay in the fight for a Champions League spot.
Moreno passed for Alcácer to execute an excellent volley and give Villarreal the 14th-minute lead.
Moreno added a second goal just before halftime off a brilliant pass from Santi Cazorla in an impressive team move. Cazorla used a subtle touch to cushion a long ball lobbed forward by his goalkeeper and kept it aloft for Moreno to smash home.
Villarreal is one of the hottest sides in the league since play resumed in Spain. Javier Calleja’s team has earned 13 of a possible 15 points since the restart and is now three points from fourth place and the last Champions League place. Villarreal has kept a clean sheet in those four wins.