Cricket

Real Madrid crush Girona to reclaim top spot in La Liga

GIRONA: Real Madrid jumped to the top of the La Liga 2023/24 points table after thumping second-ranked Girona 3-0 at Estadi Montilivi on Saturday.

Girona started the game on song with three attempts within the first ten minutes. However, they were unable to take the lead before Real Madrid turned the game around and gained an advantage over the home side as they managed to score in the 17th minute through a pass from Bellingham to Joselu, who turned it in past goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.

The visitors did not wait much and extended their lead to 2-0 four minutes later when Aurelien Tchouameni headed in from a corner.

Girona failed to make a comeback after that and Real Madrid sealed the victory with a third goal in the 71st minute as Jude Bellingham, fired in a volley during a counter-attack.

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Jude Bellingham has scored six goals in the ongoing La Liga season after arriving from Borussia Dortmund in the summer following a huge transfer deal.

The only negative for Real Madrid in this match was that defender Nacho was sent off for an ugly high tackle on Portu, who went off injured towards the end of the match.

In other La Liga fixtures, Real Sociedad outclassed Atheltic Club with a thumping 3-0 victory at Anoeta Stadium, which helped them jump to the fourth spot in the ongoing season, while Getafe and Villarreal settled for a goalless draw.

Robin Le Normand opened the scoring for Real Sociedad in the 30th minute before Takefusa Kubo extended their lead three minutes into the second half.

Mikel Oyarzabal then scored the third goal for the home side from the right side of the box to the bottom right corner courtesy of an assist by Martín Zubimendi with a through ball.

Meanwhile, the La Liga fixture between Rayo Vallecano and Mallorca ended in a 2-2 stalemate at Estadio de Vallecas after Radamel Falcao of Rayo Vallecano converted a penalty in the final moments of the game to script a comeback draw for the home side.

READ: ICC World Cup 2023: Mickey Arthur links up Pakistan squad in India

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