Gonzalo García bagged a hat-trick to lead Real Madrid to a 5-1 victory over Real Betis at the Bernabéu on Sunday, cutting Barcelona’s La Liga lead back to four points.
The 21-year-old forward, who scored four goals at last summer’s Club World Cup, stepped up in the absence of La Liga’s top scorer, Kylian Mbappé, sidelined by a knee injury. García was left unmarked at the far post to head in Rodrygo’s precise cross for a deserved 20th-minute lead.
García doubled Real’s lead early in the second half, chesting the ball down and volleying home from Federico Valverde’s long ball, before Raúl Asencio added a header from another Rodrygo delivery.
Cucho Hernandéz pulled one back for Betis in the 66th minute, moments after Giovani Lo Celso struck the post, and the visitors looked more lively following the goal. Thibaut Courtois produced saves to deny Rodrigo Riquelme and blocked a shot from Antony to preserve Madrid’s two-goal cushion.
García completed his hat-trick in the 82nd minute with a superb back-heel finish from Arda Guler’s pass, before Fran García rounded off the rout in stoppage time by converting Valverde’s cross. The win was Madrid’s third in a row and keeps the pressure on their title rivals.
“It’s a great way to start the year … my first hat-trick at the Bernabéu,” García said.
“Mbappé is currently the best player in the world, he gives us a lot with his goals. I have the best players in the world in front of me. I think about myself, I work hard every day and I make the most of every minute the manager gives me.”
Sevilla slipped to a 3-0 home defeat against struggling Levante. Iker Losada finished a flowing team move to put the visitors in front at half-time, before Carlos Espi doubled their lead in the 65th minute. Isaac Romero missed a penalty for Sevilla before Carlos Alvarez added a late third for Levante, who climb off the foot of the table.
In Serie A, first-half goals from Leonardo Spinazzola and Amir Rrahmani helped Napoli claim a 2-0 victory at Lazio in a heated contest that featured three red cards.
Victory moves Napoli back to one point behind Serie A leaders Milan, who won 1-0 at Cagliari on Friday. Inter sit third but can reclaim top spot with victory at home to Bologna later on Sunday.
Despite being hampered by the absence of a number of injured players, including Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Billy Gilmour, Napoli appeared largely in control as they patiently built their attacks. The visitors went ahead when Matteo Politano’s teasing cross was volleyed home at the far post by Spinazzola.
Antonio Conte’s side underlined their dominance in the 32nd minute when Politano’s free kick was floated into the box and Rrahmani headed into the bottom corner to double their lead. Napoli came close to stretching their advantage just minutes later when Eljif Elmas’ header crashed against the crossbar.
Napoli’s injury concerns deepened in the second half when David Neres was seen limping off. The stoppage sparked a brief flashpoint between the two sides, ending with bookings for Rrahmani and Lazio’s Tijjani Noslin – who was then shown a second yellow card for a foul on Alessandro Buongiorno.
Tempers flared again just before full-time as Lazio’s Adam Marusic and Napoli’s Pasquale Mazzocchi became embroiled in a heated confrontation, prompting Conte to intervene in an attempt to separate the pair. Both players were subsequently shown red cards, with no action taken against the Napoli head coach.
“I have to congratulate the lads, playing with this level of technical ability and physical strength without letting Lazio play is not easy,” Conte told Dazn after the game. “We played at a very high level of quality.”
Fiorentina grabbed a vital victory to move off the bottom of the table as Moise Kean netting a dramatic winner in stoppage time to sink Cremonese. La Viola are now level on points with Pisa and Veronawho lost 3-0 at home to Torino.
Marseille lost ground on Lens and PSG at the top of Ligue 1 after slumping to a home defeat to lowly Nantes. Arthur Vermeeren was sent off in the 26th minute for a late tackle on keeper Anthony Lopes, and Fabien Centonze fired Nantes in front soon after. Remy Cabella secured victory from the penalty spot with Marseille down to nine men after Bilal Nadir received two bookings in quick succession.
Later on Sunday, Paris Saint-Germain host Paris FC in the French capital’s first top-flight derby for 36 years. Luis Enrique’s side are four points clear of Marseille but four behind leaders Lenswho won 3-0 at Toulouse on Friday.
