Ronaldo eats Getafe for lunch as Rayo clings to Euro berth

Real Madrid’s early start in the Bernabéu on Sunday did not result in Getafe catching the reigning champion napping. The visitor managed to keep a clean sheet in the first half but eventually succumbed to Real’s superiority after the break, losing 4-0 as Cristiano Ronaldo whacked in a 10-minute hat-trick to the delight of the home fans.

Getafe can feel aggrieved about going one down to Sergio Ramos’s opening strike; Ricardo Carvalho impeded Getafe keeper Miguel Ángel Moyá and the loose ball fell to the Spain defender, who slotted home via a deflection off Juan Valera.

But there is little most teams can do when Ronaldo is in voracious boding. “He is spectacular,” observed Getafe coach Luis García. “There was clearly a foul on the first goal but it didn’t really matter as they scored three more. But it was a foul.”

On Saturday Valencia heaped more misery on rock-bottom Deportivo, which missed out on a precious point in the Riazor as Ricardo Costa pounced to secure a 2-3 victory in the 93rd minute. Depor played most of the second half with 10 men after Sílvio’s red card and ended up with nine when Paulo Assunção floored Nelson Váldez in injury time.

Levante also profited from a last-gasp winner against Valladolid. Having taken an early lead, the top-10 violet-whites sniffed another away point at 1-1 until Antonio Rukavina unwittingly nicked the ball off the boot of the onrushing Obafemi Martins and swept it into his own net with practically the last kick of the game.

Rayo took the spoils in a thumping 3-0 win over Betis to move to within a point of the visiting side, which sat fourth in the table pending Málaga’s result at Mallorca. Piti buried a penalty in the fourth minute and Montenegrin striker Andrija Delibasic, who had been brought down by Betis keeper Adrián for the spot-kick award, added the second before José Carlos made the points safe.

Other results: Zaragoza 0-0 Espanyol; Celta 1-1 Real Sociedad.