Spectacle, fun and six goals; that's what the Bernabeu saw as Real Madrid defeated Zaragoza 6-0. The Whites won with goals from Van der Vaart (2), Higuain (2), Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema.

Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the starting eleven. Garay and Diarra replaced the injured Pepe and Xabi Alonso, respectively. Higuain only needed two minutes to score his first strike, following a tremendous run and receiving a great assist from Marcelo.

The Whites pressurised with fast combinations and by positioning themselves perfectly on the pitch. Van der Vaart came close to scoring from a header following a pass by Ramos (5'), and Cristiano Ronaldo tried to net the ball seven minutes later with a hard shot that went over the crossbar.

Following a stellar assist from Marcelo, Van der Vaart scored his first strike of the evening (25'). Ramos served him the ball to net his second goal, receiving the ball close to the goal-line and simply pushing it into the back of the net (27’).

Higuain sealed the first half, lobbing the ball over Paredes and scoring a volley that kept the crowd on its feet (33’). Casillas also stepped up when he made a spectacular save when Lafita tried to surprise him from outside the box in the only clear chance Zaragoza had in the opening 45 minutes (28’).

Four minutes into the second half, Cristiano Ronaldo showcased his quality by controlling the ball inside the box and dribbling it until he found an angle to score the team's fifth. Benzema came on with Raul, replacing Higuain and Marcelo, respectively (62'). The Frenchman (who turned 22 today) soon had a great shot that ricocheted on a post and then hit the net (70’). The crowd was thrilled by the team's performance and gave an ovation to Van der Vaart when he was substituted by Granero. The team won the match 6-0 as a tribute to Pepe and once again showcased its hunger for titles this season.

Lineups

Real Madrid
Casillas
Sergio Ramos
Albiol
Garay
Arbeloa
Marcelo
Benzema 63'	Goal 72'
Lass
Diarra
Van der Vaart	Goal 26', 28'
Granero 73'
Cristiano Ronaldo	Goal 50'
Higuaín	Goal 3', 34'
Raúl 63'

Zaragoza
López Vallejo
Diogo
Pavón
Ayala
Paredes
Ponzio
Ander
Lafita
Abel Aguilar
Jorge López 65'
Pennant
Braulio 87'
Arizmendi
Ewerthon 65'