May 12, (THEWILL) – With a 6-0 victory over Levante on Thursday, Spanish champions Real Madrid confirmed the relegation of their opponents from La Liga.
Real Madrid led 4-0 at halftime with goals from Ferland Mendy, Karim Benzema, Rodrygo, and Vinicius Junior in the most top-vs-bottom match possible.
Dani Cardenas of Levante was alert early on to deny Benzema from close range, but he could not do anything ten minutes later when Mendy found himself through on goal and shot into the bottom corner, giving Real a well-deserved lead.
Soon after, Federico Valverde hit the post, and Thibaut Courtois was called upon to save a one-on-one that was eventually rendered useless by a late offside flag.
The second came from Benzema, who tied Raul for second on the club’s all-time scoring list with a close-range header.
After a flurry of Real chances, Rodrygo put the ball in the net half an hour in, but his strike was correctly ruled out for offside. Shortly after, the Brazilian could not be denied as he tapped in from close range from a low Luka Modric cross.
Ruthless Valverde’s half-volley from range came close to giving Real a fourth goal, but Cardenas made a superb save to push the ball over the bar. The Uruguayan hit the crossbar for the third time in the first half, before Vinicius completed a one-two to put Real 4-0 up at the break.
After the break, Levante attempted to push forward, but the quality difference between the two sides was enormous, and the home side never felt threatened. When up against Cardenas, Rodrygo did not get his lob on aim, and they could have had a fifth. Vinicius then put his own lob in the back of the net, but the offside flag ruined the fun once more.
Vinicius’ next goal would have to wait another ten minutes. Benzema took on Cardenas one-on-one and eventually got around him, but instead of shooting from a tight angle, he passed the ball back to his partner, who tapped home from five yards.
Vinicius completed his hat-trick by driving through the heart of Levante’s defence and blasting into the bottom corner. Levante put up a fight but were no match for Real, who settled for six goals despite having plenty of chances to score more.
Real expanded their unquestionable lead at the top and increased their goal difference even with their eyes set on the Champions League final.
Unfortunately for Levante, they are relegated with two games remaining due to a poor head-to-head record with 17th-placed Cadiz. Their weakness, that hampered them all season, is a porous defence, which was on full display against a ruthless attacking lineup, has hampered them throughout the season.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
