Ronaldo passes 300 La Liga goals

MADRID — Cristiano Ronaldo became only the second player ever to score 300 goals in La Liga as his double fired Real Madrid to a 3-1 victory over 10-man Getafe on Saturday.

Gareth Bale opened the scoring at the Santiago Bernabeu before Ronaldo followed Lionel Messi in hitting his 300th and 301st goals after just 286 matches in the Spanish top flight. Messi needed 334 to reach the same mark.

Getafe's Loic Remy was sent off in the 47th minute for a second yellow card but the visitors still threatened a comeback at 20, when Francisco Portillo converted a penalty, awarded for a foul by Nacho on Jorge Molina.

Ronaldo had the last word, however, and his contribution is timely given Real now turn their attention to what could be a seasondefining Champions League second leg with PSG on Tuesday, in which they lead 3-1.

"It's the match we hoped for," said Real boss Zinedine Zidane. "We prepared very seriously for our Tuesday match. We will have to play in that game with a different intensity certainly, but we are ready for Tuesday."

In La Liga, Real move seven points behind second-placed Atletico Madrid, who play Barcelona on Sunday, while Getafe stay 10th.

Bale also put his hand up for a starting spot in France by capping a lively display with a goal. He almost had a second late on but a curling shot nipped the post.

The Welshman's place at the Parc des Princes is not assured, however, his 90 minutes here perhaps even an indicator that his rest is to come in midweek.

But, on a night when his 117th La Liga appearance saw him pass David Beckham as the division's most capped British player, Bale delivered a timely reminder of his quality.

Marcelo, back from injury, also came on for 25 minutes as a substitute, and is likely now to face PSG, but the same cannot be said of injured duo Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, who were both absent again.