BARCELONA: Toni Kroos netted his first for Real Madrid and was hailed as the best player on the pitch by his coach as the hosts tore apart Rayo Vallecano 5-1 in La Liga on Saturday to extend their winning streak to 13 games.
Wales winger Gareth Bale netted the opener in his first start after injury when he swept in a Kroos cross after 10 minutes to put Real on track for a victory which puts them on 27 points from 11 games, two more than Barcelona in second.
Sergio Ramos knocked in from a corner after 40 minutes to add to Real’s lead but neighbours Rayo pulled a goal back minutes later when Leo Baptistao seized on a poor backpass by James Rodriguez and set up Alberto Bueno to score.
Cristiano Ronaldo fed Germany World Cup winner Kroos for a precise finish from 20 metres and then the Portuguese found Karim Benzema to slot home.
Ronaldo as ever was on the scoresheet, wrapping up the win with a tame effort which slipped through the hands of goalkeeper Cristian Alvarez, but for once the world player of the year was upstaged.
“Kroos was the best player on the pitch and he got his first goal,” Real coach Carlo Ancelotti told a news conference about the midfielder signed from Bayern Munich in the close season.
“I am surprised at how good he is. He scored in a counter-attack and has the freedom to get forward. When he goes up (Luka) Modric stays back, they work well together. I think it is important the work-rate of the forwards, above all defensively and that is what the team needs. They all did well and it is no surprise that Bale or Cristiano scored.”
Bale, who came on as a substitute in Tuesday’s Champions League win over Liverpool after a month out with a muscle strain, looked sharp and also hit the crossbar with a 25-metre volley.
Real are now two shy of the club’s record run of 15 consecutive wins achieved jointly by Miguel Munoz’s 1960-61 team and by Jose Mourinho’s in 2011-12.
With another unconvincing performance after two straight defeats in La Liga, Barca coach Luis Enrique was left relieved to stop the rot, especially after his surprise decision to start with both Neymar and Luis Suarez on the bench. Both men were eventually to play a key role in the victory after Enrique’s plan had looked as if could backfire when Almeria took the lead in the 37th minute as Thievy Bifouma broke clear on the counter-attack and finished clinically. REUTERS
