Real Madrid return to winning ways against Girona after beating Getafe 2-0 thanks to a brace from Joselu.
Real Madrid regained the lead in the Spanish league after beating Getafe 2-0 on Thursday in the rescheduled Spanish Super Cup match.
Joselu Mato took advantage of the opportunity to start by scoring his first brace of the season. He scored the first goal with a pinpoint header from center Lucas Vazquez to rock the net in the 14th minute. He scored his second goal with a low left-footed shot from the balcony of the area in the 56th.
The away win leaves Meringue at the top of the championship with 57 points, two higher than defender Girona. White now has a 10-point lead over Atlético and Barcelona.
This was Madrid’s sixth consecutive league victory. They also went 16 days unbeaten with 13 wins and three draws.
“It was a great game. The season is still very long, we have a good series, the team is busy,” said Merengue coach Carlo Ancelotti.
Getafe suffered their third setback in their last four games and remain in tenth position with 29 points.
On a negative note for Madrid, defender Antonio Rudiger suffered an injury. He did not return after the break after suffering a serious blow to his thigh late in the first half.
This potential loss in the Whites’ defense can be added to those already suffered by the leader due to the absence of his defenders Eder Militao and David Alaba, who are both undergoing rehabilitation after suffering cruciate knee ligament ruptures.
Ancelotti said that Rüdiger suffered a blow and that they are confident of his recovery in the coming days: “We have two days to try to recover him, it is a strong blow to the thigh,” he indicated. “If we win the next two games (against Atlético and Girona) we will have six more points and that will be good.”
Joselu has scored seven goals in the league – 12 in all competitions – and came close to an assist when he fed Vinicius Junior with an open shot that was saved by goalkeeper David Soria.
Moments later, the Brazilian striker again ran into the penalty area, where Soria again deflected his shot towards the goal.
The blue team had the opportunity to score with a couple of shots on the post for the first time in the early days of Mason Greenwood’s squad. Borja Mayoral struck next, which goalkeeper Andrei Lunin managed to parry.
Ahead of Sunday’s clash with Atlético Madrid, the only team to beat them in all competitions this season, Madrid have made several rotations in their starting XI. Joselu and Vazquez, who played in place of Dani Carvajal, started from the start.