18.04.2015 » Real Madrid 3-1 Malaga. Keeping the pressure on Barça

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Real Madrid has beaten Malaga 3-1, but they've only done it at the expense of losing Luka Modric and Gareth Bale to injury. The Merengues made sure Barça wouldn't escape them on the top of the league though, thanks to goals from Sergio Ramos, James Rodríguez and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 3 points didn't slip away from Real Madrid this Saturday night, but it the game surely didn't go down the way Carlo Ancelotti was expecting. The Merengues ended up marking their superiority against a very determined Malaga side through a 3-1 win, but it was far from being another walk in the park for the men in white. Sergio Ramos and James Rodríguez granted the hosts a 2-goal lead in the game, but when the visitors managed to cut distances from a header by Juanmi, the Bernabéu went through some troubled periods. Cristiano Ronaldo would confirm the win later in the game by scoring Real Madrid's 3rd goal already inside added time, but only after having missed a penalty-kick a few moments before. Next on the schedule is Atletico Madrid (on April 22), in the return leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.

Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Real Madrid vs Malaga
Real Madrid 3-1 Malaga - Goals and highlights:

All Cristiano Ronaldo actions vs Malaga:

This weekend's win for Real Madrid has basically happened at the expense of a couple of their key players's health. Gareth Bale and Luka Modric have both left the pitch injured and they are most likely going to be forced to miss the upcoming fixtures in this decisive stage of the season.

Carlo Ancelotti's men have failed to control this Saturday's fixture against Malaga as they probably had intended over the past few days and they were forced to go through the final moments of this game in a situation where they were pretty much thrown against the ropes.

The opener arrived early in the first half, when a free-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo close to the right edge of Malaga's box allowed for Sergio Ramos to easily tap it in on the far post and make it 1-0 for Real Madrid. The visitors immediately claimed for offside, but the truth is that none of the replays appear to be very conclusive. Ramos was left unmarked and forgotten on the back post and scored his 7th goal of the season for the Merengues.

The half-time came in 20 minutes later, with Ancelotti certainly knowing that his men would have to do a lot better if they wanted to secure the 3 points without granting their opponent any serious possibilities for causing an upset at the Bernabéu and jeopardizing their chances for the title run in La Liga.

The second goal was close to arrive around the 67th minute of the second half, when Real Madrid was awarded a penalty-kick following a foul made on James Rodríguez. Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to kick the ball from the 12 yards spot, but his shot slammed against Malaga's right post. However and only a couple minutes later, James Rodríguez would find the back of the net and extend the lead into a more comfortable 2-0 scoreline through a strong left-footed shot from outside the box.

The visitors weren't exactly going to give up after that second goal though and they reduced the lead to a single goal just two minutes later. Rosales crossed the ball from the right wing and being left completely alone in the heart of the box, Juanmi didn't find any trouble to head it past Iker Casillas. The header was sent straight to the middle of the goal, but Casillas ended up falling on his back and failed to block it or even get his hands on the ball.

The final score was only to be written near the referee's last whistle in the game, when Chicharito escaped his marking on the right wing and spotted Cristiano Ronaldo in the middle of the box. The Manchester United striker assisted the Portuguese star for an easy tap in right in front of the goal, which he obviously didn't miss. The 3-1 for Real Madrid gladly came up on the scoredboard and Ronaldo celebrated his 50th goal of the season for the Merengues that has kept his side only 2 points below Barcelona on the top of La Liga standings.

Real Madrid line-up vs Malaga:

Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas
Defenders: Marcelo, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Arbeloa
Midfielders: Kroos, Modric, Isco, James Rodríguez
Attackers: Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo next game will be for the Spanish League against Malaga, on the 22nd of April of 2015. You can watch Juventus live stream, Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid, Barcelona vs PSG, Manchester City vs West Ham, Newcastle vs Tottenham, and Aston Villa vs Liverpool, all matches provided from our soccer live game pages.

Real Madrid next game:
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid kick-off time (22-04-2015):

Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 02:45
Jakarta (Indonesia) | UTC/GMT+7: 01:45
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 00:15
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+2: 20:45
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+1: 19:45
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 15:45
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 14:45
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 11:45

Sources: ronaldo7.net / realmadrid.com / goal.com / espnfc.com / bbc.com

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