If you wanted goals, Saturday must have been a treat. Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid scored 17 goals between them in the space of few hours in the La Liga on Saturday and provided a strong indication, that if early form is anything to go by, this year's title race is going to be very, very tight.
Atletico's Yannick Carrasco came out of the evening as the biggest victor but the big two of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi also got their names on the scoresheet. The Portuguese ace had already started his goal glut a few days ago, scoring four goals in two international fixtures. Atletico currently lead their city rivals, Real on goal difference on top of the table.
Isco leads Real Madrid's rout
It was defender Raphael Varane who opened the scoring for Real, who added three more by half-time. Real Betis, playing at home, brought one back in the 55th minute before Isco and Cristiano Ronaldo added to the goal tally by to take Zinedine Zidane's side to a landslide 6-1 win.
Barca return to winning ways
The Spanish champions have been far from their best this season, despite being ever-present at the top of the table. Just like Real, Barcelona found an unlikely hero in Rafinha, who scored a pair of goals, and it took him only 36 minutes to do so.
Last season's top scorer, Luis Suarez, got the third goal for the Blaugrana. Lionel Messi, making a comeback, got the fourth with a smart finish from a tight angle as Barcelona won 4-0 against Deportivo.
Atletico score seven
It is almost unbelievable that it was Granada who scored first in the game. Issac Cuenca scored in the 18th minute but Atletico and Carrasco scored thrice by the hour mark. Nicolas Gaitan got a quickfire brace in the second half before Angel Correa and Tiago Cardoso completed the 7-1 rout.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!