Real Madrid made it three LaLiga wins in a row with a comfortable 5-1 victory over Real Betis at the Santiago Bernabéu. Gonzalo García was the star of the show, scoring a hat-trick as Madrid moved to within four points of leaders Barcelona. It was only Betis’ second defeat in their last eight league matches.
Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini has never won at the Bernabéu as an away coach, and his side struggled from the start. Real Madrid dominated the opening minutes, with Federico Valverde and Vinícius Júnior causing constant problems. The pressure finally paid off in the 20th minute when García headed in Rodrygo’s free-kick to score his first LaLiga goal for the club.
Madrid continued to control the game, while Betis spent most of the first half defending deep. The visitors did not win their first corner until the 28th minute. Despite Madrid’s dominance, Betis managed to keep the score at 1-0 by half-time, and some home fans showed their frustration with boos at the break.
Betis had an early chance after the restart when Cucho Hernández broke free but slipped at the key moment. Madrid then punished them straight away, as García controlled Valverde’s pass on his chest and fired home a brilliant volley for his second goal. Soon after, Raúl Asencio was left unmarked from a corner and headed in to make it 3-0.
Betis showed some fight late on, hitting the post through Giovani Lo Celso and forcing saves from Thibaut Courtois. Hernández eventually pulled one back, giving the visitors brief hope. However, any chance of a comeback ended when García completed his hat-trick with a clever backheel. Fran García then added a fifth goal in stoppage time.
The result means Real Madrid are unbeaten in their last seven home league matches against Betis, while the visitors stay sixth in the table and miss the chance to close the gap on the teams above them.
