Ronaldo parades Ballon d’Or, and then scores in Real win
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Cristiano Ronaldo paraded his Ballon d’Or trophy and scored his league-leading 22nd goal, helping Real Madrid to provisionally move top of the Spanish league with a 2-0 win over Granada on Saturday.
Ronaldo soaked up an ovation from fans in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium as he held up his award for the best player in the world in 2013 before the match, which he then put his stamp on with a pinpoint strike to score in the 56th minute.
“I’m very happy because my fans have helped me so much during these past years,” Ronaldo said. “The Ballon d’Or is for the equipment managers, the trainers ... for all the people who work for Real Madrid. It’s for everyone.”
Karim Benzema sealed Madrid’s ninth straight win, and seventh consecutive clean sheet, in all competitions in the 74th, moments after Ronaldo’s deflected free kick clipped the crossbar.
Madrid moved two points above Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
“My team is playing perfectly in 2014,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said.
“It has balance between attack and defense. That’s the key. We haven’t won any silverware yet ... but our games in 2014 have been perfect.”
Levante twice overcame one-goal deficits before Simao Mate scrambled in the 75th-minute winner to topple Sevilla 3-2 on the road, dealing the Andalusian side its first defeat in nine rounds.
Levante goalkeeper Keylor Navas again proved to be among the best in Spain with multiple saves, while Sevilla midfielder Ivan Rakitic scored his 10th goal of the season after missing a penalty. Levante’s Nikos Karabelas and Sevilla’s Jairo Samperio were both shown red cards late.
Valladolid ended Villarreal’s three-game winning run with a 1-0 victory at home courtesy of defender Jesus Rueda’s 40th-minute header to provisionally escape the relegation zone.
Espanyol’s promising striker Jhon Cordoba scored from long range before earning a penalty to help draw 2-2 at Valencia as both teams stayed in the upper half of the table.
Early yesterday, Almeria edged Getafe 1-0 courtesy striker Jonathan Zongo’s second-half header to escape the Spanish league’s relegation zone. Visiting Getafe outplayed Almeria in the first half but never came closer than Rafael Lopez’s header that hit the crossbar a minute before halftime.
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