Ronaldo, Bale and Morata save Zidane as Real maintain La Liga edge
Published:
The La Liga table could be looking very different this morning, had it not been for an incredible fightback from Real Madrid last night.
After an hour of their clash away at Villarreal, Zinedine Zidane’s men were 2-0 down and facing a second straight league loss.
Had the scoreline at the Estadio de la Ceramica stayed the same, Los Blancos would have been left in second place, behind Barcelona.
But Gareth Bale’s first start since returning from injury couldn’t have been better timed, as the Welsh sparked a fightback with 25 minutes to go.
Cristiano Ronaldo tucked away a penalty 10 minutes later, and Alvaro Morata completed the turnaround with seven minutes to spare.
What it all means is that Real now sit one point clear at the top, with a game in hand on Barca and are 2/5 favourites for the title.
However, Barcelona have seen their odds cut in recent weeks from 5/2 to 7/4.
Sevilla remain in contention too, three points off the pace, but Atletico’s hopes are over after losing at home to Lionel Messi and co on Saturday.
With 14 gameweeks still to go however, any of the top three could yet claim this season’s title.
Especially as they must all play each other once more.
The first battle between the trio comes midweek in early April, when Barcelona host Sevilla at the Camp Nou.
Just over a fortnight later, all eyes will be on the Bernabeu as the second El Classico of the season takes place.
But the real decider could come in the penultimate round, when Real host Sevilla.
Ronaldo et al have already come unstuck versus Jorge Sampaoli’s side twice in 2017, and there’s every chance this season’s title race could be decided right here.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
