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Real Madrid put the kibosh on their tumultuous season with an emphatic 7-3 drubbing of midtable minnows Getafe, with Cristiano Ronaldo bagging a record-equalling 8th hat-trick of the season.
The Portuguese winger completed his treble in the first half to register his highest ever tally of 61 goals for the season. However, the visitors also pulled three back through Sergio Escudero, Diego Castro and Mehdi Lacen to keep the scores level at half-time.
Having ended the season trophyless, Los Blancos aimed at bowing out on a high and got just that when a second half blitzkrieg from Chicharito, James Rodriguez, Jese and Marcelo ensured an absolute treat for the Bernabeu faithful, who thronged the stadium in large numbers for the last time this season.
Here are the major talking points from the game –
Titleless, but full of spirit
This season has been a major disappointment for Real Madrid, who were so prolific in the first half of the season but flunked towards the end to finish the season without a trophy.
Their poor run of results in the initial few months of the season cost them dearly and they were left to pay the price for them in the end. Nevertheless, their season-ending disappointments did not impede them from winding up their erratic campaign on a glittering note.
Real were poised to saunter their way to a win, but the gritty showing from the visitors in the first half appeared to have rubbed salt on Real’s wounds. However, the home team looked much more at peace in the second half, as they made up for their mistakes in the opening 45 minutes of the game, as they fired 4 more goals to register a cracking victory and left the pitch with their heads held high.
Ronaldo ends the season on a high
Real Madrid may have ended the year trophyless, but their Portuguese maestro Cristiano Ronaldo produced the most prolific season of his career. The 30-year old was at his brilliant best throughout and ended the campaign being the highest goalscorer in Europe for a record 5th time.
The in-form winger triggered the onslaught early in the first half with a trademark header and doubled his tally with a well-taken free-kick. Just moments later, Chicharito was fouled inside the penalty area, and Ronaldo stepped up to coolly to slot home from the spot and scored his third of the evening. He was subbed off just before the hour mark to a rousing reception from the home crowd.
48 league goals, 16 assists, 8 hat-tricks, 4th Pichichi and 5th European Golden Boot. To cap it all in one word, amazing.
Martin Odegaard makes his much-anticipated debut
After all the hoopla surrounding the signing of the Norwegian prodigy Martin Odegaard, the 16-year old finally made his senior team debut when he came on for Ronaldo at the 58th minute, thereby becoming the youngest ever player in Real Madrid’s history.
Odegaard kept it simple. Neither a blistering start nor a damp squib. He made a few short passes, some assured touches and some incisive runs in the final third.
While most of the glare of spotlight was 600 miles away in Catalonia with Barcelona lifting their Liga title and Xavi making his final league appearance, Odegaard would take heart from the fact that he became the youngest representative ever for the Galacticos, in a game that ended in a meaningless yet thumping win.
Real must seriously look into their goalkeeper dilemma
While the Blancos continued to pump in goal after goal, their frailties at the back continued to trouble them, especially the inconsistency in between the posts.
Iker Casillas was yet again the party pooper for his own side when he surrendered 3 goals in a space of just 20 minutes, yet he made a great save close to the end, thereby highlighting the patchy form he's exhibited all season. Although some weight of the blame deservedly falls on the Madrid defence, the veteran could have done better for the first 2 goals which he conceded in rather limp fashion.
If reports are anything to go by, then David de Gea is on his way to the Spanish capital this summer and this might just spell the end for Casillas, who is no longer the bulwark he once used to be.
Real are in dire need of trophies to live up to their lofty standards and for that to happen, this change now seems very necessary.
Time for Ancelotti to say goodbye?
Speculation is increasing that manager Carlo Ancelotti is heading towards the exit door and that Napoli boss Rafael Benitez is making his way down to Madrid during the summer, as Real couldn't build on last season's success and thereby failed to win any major trophy this season.
Although the 63-year old Italian has expressed his pleasure at continuing for another season, his future hangs in limbo as he failed to guide his side to the heights of last season. Also, considering the highly impatient nature of president Fiorentino Perez, Ancelotti, sadly, may have just had his final game in the Madrid dugout yesterday.
He, however, has the backing of several senior members of the squad such as Ronaldo, Marcelo, and Karim Benzema and a decision on his future at Madrid will reportedly be made within a day or two.
