REAL MADRID opened a 10-point lead over Barcelona at the top of La Liga after Cristiano Ronaldo’s sixth hat-trick of the season clinched a 4-2 comeback win at home to 10-man Levante on yesterday.
A fifth-minute Gustavo Cabral header gave Levante, the only team apart from Barcelona to beat Real this season, a surprise lead at the Bernabeu before midfielder Vicente Iborra handled the ball in the area after 43 minutes and was shown a second yellow card.
Ronaldo smashed the penalty into the corner of the net for the equaliser, his 21st successful spot kick in a row. The Portuguese forward put the home side ahead when he nodded in a Gonzalo Higuain cross five minutes into the second half.
Ronaldo then completed the hat-trick with a dipping drive seven minutes later. It was the 27th goal of the campaign for the league’s top scorer.
Levante pulled a goal back in the 63rd minute when Arouna Kone, who netted in a 1-0 home win over Real in September, finished off a fine breakaway by heading past Iker Casillas before Karim Benzema secured victory three minutes later.
It was Real’s seventh straight league victory since they were beaten 3-1 by Barcelona in December. Their 17th win in 18 games also gave Jose Mourinho’s side 58 points from 22 matches.
Barcelona, who crashed to a shock 3-2 defeat at Osasuna on Saturday, have 48 points.
