SPORT Ronaldo, Benzema hand Real league title
Cristiano Ronaldo scored inside two minutes as Zinedine Zidane’s team coasted to the trophy that has eluded them for the last five years. Ronaldo loves the last day of the season. He came into the game with a record of 11 goals in his last nine final matches of campaigns and it wasn’t long before he added to that record.
Isco threaded a pass through the gap left between Malaga’s two centre-backs and Ronaldo ran on to it, rounding Carlos Kameni before scoring his 15th league goal in his last 15 league games The attempt to time his physical peak for the most important part of the campaign has worked perfectly. It was also his 40th Real goal of the season.
Madrid only needed a draw but they were never likely to settle for that. Ronaldo’s goal means they have scored in every game of the season for the first time in their 115 year history.
At the Nou Camp the goal news came through before some fans had taken their seats. Luis Enrique, taking charge of his last league game and his last match at the stadium, appeared to share a joke with his number two Carles Unzue. They were perhaps relieved at the early arrival of the killer news from Malaga - nothing worse than false hope on the final day.
Things got worse for Barcelona when Eibar took at shock lead through Takashi Inui and the Barcelona heads were down. One ‘Barca man’ who had not given up was Malaga striker Sandro Ramirez.
If Real beat Juventus i n Cardiff, they will become the first team to successfully defend the Champions League - with Zidane having won the tournament six months into the job last summer.