Benzema double sinks Bilbao

Karim Benzema scored a brace as
Real Madrid maintained their winning
streak with a 5-1 victory over Athletic
Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu on
Saturday night.
Sergio Ramos, Mesut Ozil and Sami
Khedira also found the back of the net
for the home side, while Ibai Gomez
scored the consolation goal for the
visitors.
The Whites went into the game 11
points behind log leaders Barcelona
and they showed their intentions in
the opening minutes with Cristiano
Ronaldo heading just wide in the 4th
minute, before Jose Callejon fired
straight at Gorka Iraizoz three minutes
later.
However, they soon found the
opening in the 12th minute with Luka
Modric playing a long ball over the
Bilbao defence to find Benzema, who
then lobbed the ball over the
goalkeeper.
Sergio Ramos almost added a second
11 minutes later when an Ozil corner
found him unmarked in the centre of
the penalty area, but his header was
tipped over the crossbar by Iraizoz.
However, the Spaniard managed to
punish the visitors in the 30th minute
when he headed home from close
range, connecting with an Ozil freekick
after he was once again left
unguarded on the edge of the six-
yard box.
Two minutes later Callejon found
Benzema just inside the box on the
right, who then swiveled before
curling his powerful left-footed shot
into the far post to grab his second
goal of the match.
The Frenchman almost completed his
hat-trick in the 38th minute when he
drilled his low shot towards the target
from outside of the area, but Iraizoz
went down in time to make the save.
The Zaragoza goalkeeper was called
into action again three minutes later,
this time diving to his right to block a
volleyed attempt from Callejon, who
had made a superb run to meet a
Ronaldo cross at the far post.
The visitors then pulled one goal back
three minutes before the break from
a quick move which saw Markel
Susaeta breaking free on the right
before playing the ball across for Ibai
to beat Iker Casillas with a low shot.
Madrid looked to restore their lead
soon after the break but Benzema
directed his grasscutter wide of goal in
the 47th minute, before Ronaldo saw
his shot saved by Iraizoz a minute
later.
Then in the 55th minute Marcelo
Bielsa’s side thought they should have
been awarded a penalty when Fabio
Coentrao handled a ball from
Susaeta, but the referee turned away
the appeals.
It was the home side who then added
to their tally a minute later when
Ronaldo released Benzema on the
right, and the Frenchman was
unselfish as he squared the ball for
Ozil to sidefoot into the roof of the net
from close range.
Benzema had yet another chance to
score his third goal of the match in
the 58th minute and he managed to
get the ball past the goalkeeper, but
Jon Autrenetxe was able to clear off
the line.
Five minutes later Luka Modric came
close to adding his name on the
scoresheet when he was released on
the left, but his volleyed strike was
pushed wide by Iraizoz, before Ibai
saw his shot brushing the outside of
the post at the other end four
minutes later.
Madrid did eventually kill the game in
the 72nd minute with Alvaro Arbeloa
playing substitute Sami Khedira
through on the right, and the German
international managed to squeeze his
low shot under the goalkeeper to
secure a comfortable victory.