REPORT | 26/04/2017 | Alberto Navarro (La Coruña) | PHOTOGRAPHER: Antonio Villalba
A James brace and strikes from Morata, Lucas Vázquez, Isco and Casemiro saw the Whites put Deportivo to the sword.- La Liga
- Matchday 34
- Wed, 26 Apr
2
6The Whites went on to carve out two clear-cut chances immediately after having gone ahead. Firstly, Marco Asensio found himself clean through in the fifth minute and then Isco's sublime curling effort two minutes later saw the visitors come close to doubling their lead, but Germán Lux pulled off a fine save to deny the first effort, whilst the woodwork foiled the Malaga-born midfielder minutes later. Madrid had really come flying out of the traps and four minutes later had another golden chance to have built on their opener. A fine piece of individual play saw Morata shrug off the attentions of a Depor defender, before forcing Lux to pull off yet another stunning save.
Utterly dominant
It appeared as if it was just a question of time before the visitors doubled their advantage and the second of the night nearly came on 13', with Asensio's shot from the edge of the area crashing against the upright. Just a minute had elapsed when James capped off a sublime first quarter of an hour from Madrid. Lucas sent in a cross and the Colombian conjured up a deft stabbed finish with the outside of his left boot. Madrid had the ball in the net again on 16' with Morata again on target, but the goal was chalked off after Marcelo was incorrectly adjudged to have been in an offside position in the previous phase of play.
REAL MADRID HAVE REGISTERED IN EACH OF THEIR LAST 57 OUTINGS.
You couldn’t have asked for any more of the Whites at Riazor. They were already 2-0 up, playing at breakneck speed and the chances kept coming. Lux parried the ball out, only for Morata to regain possession in the 26th minute and play Lucas in, who was kept at bay by the home keeper in the one-on-one. The Argentine custodian was even more decisive six minutes later as Morata found himself clean through.
Instead of Madrid taking a 3-0 lead, the scoreline became 2-1 to the visitors following a goal from Florin Andone in the 34th minute. The game looked lively going into the break, but on the stroke of half-time, Lucas Vázquez took charge and capitalized on his chance. The cross came in from Marcelo after some great some play from Isco and the youth-team graduate confidently slotted home with a left-footed finish.
James at the double
The second half didn’t have quite the same pace. Real Madrid patiently waited for their moment to come and it nearly did as Asensio led a counter-attack and Lucas came a whisker away in the 59th minute. Two minutes later Morata sent in a thumping effort, but Tyton was on hand for the home side, having replaced Lux at the break. He was unable to shine again in the 66th as Isco passed between the lines and Morata skipped past the home goalie, before laying it on a plate for James to add the final touch and claim a brace.
The Whites had sewn things up, but they were hungry for more, and the fifth came on 77 minutes. Lucas played Isco in, and he stroked the ball home. Joselu scored a header in the 84th minute, which cut the deficit, before Casemiro burst through just three minutes later to round off the goal fest with a shot from the edge of the box. Real Madrid and Barcelona are still neck and neck on points. The league leaders have four games left to play whilst Real Madrid have five. The Whites' title destiny is still in their own hands.
