MADRID: Gareth Bale scored four times as Real Madrid closed to within two points of La Liga leaders Barcelona after demolishing nine-man Rayo Vallecano 10-2 on Sunday while Atletico Madrid missed a chance to seize top spot outright by losing 1-0 at Malaga.

Bale landed the first four-goal haul of his career as Real bounced back in style from last weekend’s 1-0 defeat at Villarreal, with Karim Benzema netting a hat-trick and Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice in a wild game at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Atletico had captain Gabi sent off 11 minutes into the second half at the Rosaleda and Malaga made the breakthrough three minutes from time when a Charles volley deflected into the net off Diego Godin.

Barca and Atletico are on 35 points, with the Spanish and European champions having played one game fewer because they were playing the Club World Cup in Japan, a tournament they won earlier on Sunday with a 3-0 win over River Plate. Real are third on 33.

Celta Vigo and Villarreal are on Real’s heels after they each won 2-0, at Granada and Real Sociedad respectively. Celta are two points behind Real Madrid in fourth with Villarreal a further point adrift in fifth.

Athletic Bilbao climbed above Sevilla and Valencia, who both drew on Saturday, into seventh, two points behind sixth-placed Deportivo La Coruna, thanks to a 2-0 home triumph over bottom club Levante.

Real were losing with both teams at full strength at the Bernabeu, but they took advantage of two early red cards to Rayo to get back into the game and ease the pressure on coach Rafa Benitez, who was loudly jeered before the match.

It was the first time a team scored 10 or more goals in the league since Real trounced Elche 11-2 in 1960.

Rayo coach Paco Jemez blamed the refereeing for the rout.

“It’s been a while since I’ve last seen something like this,” he said. “It’s a shame. This doesn’t benefit anybody, not Real Madrid, not our team, not Spanish football.”

Danilo opened the scoring in the third minute before Antonio Amaya equalised in the 10th and Jozabed Sanchez put Rayo ahead in the 12th.

But Rayo lost Roberto “Tito” Roman to a straight red in the 14th after a foul on Toni Kroos and Bale levelled with a header in the 25th.

Raul Baena was then sent off for a second bookable offence in the 28th after bringing down Sergio Ramos in the penalty area.

Ronaldo made no mistake from the spot and Bale then exploited a huge gape in the Rayo defence to gallop clear and slot home his second in the 41st.

Rayo had little chance against waves of Real attacks and Benzema made it 5-2 three minutes into the second half before Ronaldo headed in a James Rodriguez cross in the 53rd.

The Portugal forward set up Bale for his hat-trick in the 61st and the Wales international added a 70th-minute tap-in to double his league goal tally for the season to eight.

Benzema made it 9-2 in the 80th minute and Real hit double figures when the France international notched his third in the final minute.

“We conceded the goals early, but then the team reacted,” said Benitez. “I am not going to judge the decisions of the referee, but from the sending-off the team did what it had to do, try to play well and score goals.”

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2015