Las Palmas: Real Madrid overcame the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo to defeat Las Palmas 3-0 and move within a point of second-place Atletico Madrid in the Spanish league on Saturday.
With Ronaldo rested for Tuesday’s visit to Juventus in the Champions League quarter-finals, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema took over to give the defending league champions a comfortable win in the Canary Islands.
Bale opened the scoring in the 26th minute after a long throughball by Luka Modric, making a run from near the midfield line before entering the area and finding the top corner with a powerful left-footed shot.
Benzema added to the lead by converting a 39th-minute penalty kick after Lucas Vazquez was fouled inside the area, and Bale netted his second goal by converting another penalty kick early in the second half after he was brought down inside the box.
“It’s an important victory going into the game against Juventus,” Vazquez said. “We are going through a good moment.”
In addition to Ronaldo, coach Zinedine Zidane also rested defender Sergio Ramos, midfielder Francisco “Isco” Alarcon, left back Marcelo, and midfielder Toni Kroos.
Defender Nacho Fernandez had to be replaced in the first half because of an apparent muscle injury in his right leg.
Madrid is out of contention for the Spanish league title but Ronaldo remains in the race for top scorer with 22, three less than Lionel Messi.
Las Palmas stayed in 18th place, seven points behind Levante, the first team outside the relegation zone.
Messi, meanwhile, came off the bench to preserve Barcelona’s unbeaten run in La Liga with a sensational late equaliser in a thrilling 2-2 draw at Sevilla as the runaway leaders came back from two goals down in the space of a minute.
Franco Vazquez opened the scoring from close range in the 36th minute and Colombia international Luis Muriel doubled the home side’s lead by smashing in on the rebound five minutes into the second half.
Messi had began the game on the bench due to continued muscle discomfort which caused him to miss Argentina’s friendlies against Italy and Spain and the league’s top scorer was called into action in the 58th minute, replacing Ousmane Dembele.
Barca were instantly lifted by the Argentine’s arrival and Luis Suarez rattled the near post but Sevilla continued to pour forward and Vazquez and Muriel missed clear chances to put the game to bed.
They paid dear for their wastefulness as Suarez pulled one back for Barca with an acrobatic finish in the 88th minute following a corner and Messi whipped in the equaliser in the 89th with a venomous left-foot strike.
