MADRID: Cristiano Ronaldo hit a brace to help Real Madrid get their league campaign back against 10-man Granada on Sunday.
It was Ronaldo’s 150th goal in 149 appearances for the club.
Despite their cup win, the pressure was starting to grow on the team with just a point from their opening two league games, but Ronaldo responded with a goal in either half to continue his remarkable scoring run in Madrid.
The first owed as much to poor keeping from Antonio Rodriguez as the Portuguese’s shot from a tight angle after 25 minutes went through his legs, although it did take a slight deflection off Inigo Lopez.
Ronaldo got his second after 53 minutes and Granada’s hopes of a comeback took a blow with Borja Gomez sent off six minutes later. Substitute Gonzalo Higuain completed the scoring with a tap-in 15 minutes from the end.
Still Real lacked fluidity in their passing which Jose Mourinho pointed out afterwards.
“I did not like the game as we had little rhythm. We have had little time to work this week and we were slow. We got the points but that is not enough, we have to play better,” he said.
Luka Modric was given a starting place after he came on for the last few minutes against Barca and threaded the ball through to Jose Callejon inside the first few minutes but the keeper got down well to block him.
Ronaldo had looked sluggish in his first two league games and he failed to trouble the keeper with a free-kick and a couple of shots from distance before he did break the deadlock with a soft goal from Granada’s perspective.
The visitors had shown nothing going forward and were now forced to come out of their shells but it was Ronaldo that could have added a second before the break with a drive which Rodriguez was alert to.
Angel Di Maria came on after half time and he set up Ronaldo, who saw his shot from inside the box saved before reacting to knock home the rebound. (AFP)