Agencies Madrid
Gonzalo Garcia stepped out of Kylian Mbappe’s shadow with a memorable hat-trick as Real Madrid thrashed Real Betis 5-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday to keep the pressure on La Liga leaders Barcelona.
Handed a rare start with Mbappe sidelined by a knee sprain, the 21-year-old academy graduate made an instant impact, opening the scoring after 20 minutes with a looping header from Rodrygo’s free-kick. Madrid dominated the early exchanges but Betis grew into the game late in the first half without troubling Thibaut Courtois.
Madrid seized control again after the break as Garcia produced a moment of quality, controlling Fede Valverde’s long ball on his chest before volleying home from the edge of the box. Raul Asencio made it 3-0 before the hour with a header from a Rodrygo corner.
Betis briefly threatened a comeback when Cucho Hernandez pulled one back after rounding Courtois, having earlier seen efforts from Giovani Lo Celso and Rodrigo Riquelme strike the woodwork. Any doubt was quickly erased as Garcia completed his hat-trick with a deft flick from Arda Guler’s cross in the 83rd minute, drawing applause from the watching Mbappe. Fran Garcia added a late fifth to cap a dominant display.
The win keeps Madrid second, four points behind Barcelona.
