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SPAIN: Real Madrid’s Portuguese forward controls the ball during the Spanish League football match against Deportivo de la Coruna. — AFP Real in eight-goal rout of Deportivo

MADRID: Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick loan from Manchester United. “The game was header into the far corner from 15 yards out. as Real Madrid equalled their biggest ever defined by the skill and quality we have up Karim Benzema then forced Lux into anoth- Spanish League results/standings away win in La Liga with a 8-2 thrashing of front and how clinical we were with the er smart save moments later, but there was Deportivo La Coruna 2 (Medunjanin 51-pen, Toche 84) Real Madrid 8 (Ronaldo 28, 41, 78, Rodriguez 36, Deportivo la Coruna yesterday. chances we had,” said Real boss Carlo Ancelotti. nothing the Argentine ‘keeper could do nine Bale 66, 74, Hernandez 88, 90+2); Athletic Bilbao 0, Granada 1 (Cordoba 40). Ronaldo opened the scoring with a fantas- “We showed the quality we have. We have a minutes before half-time when Rodriguez tic header from Alvaro Arbeloa’s cross, but the phenomenon in Ronaldo and we have other scored his first goal in La Liga with a curling Played Friday Portuguese was upstaged by James Rodriguez players with great quality. They combined very effort that dipped in off the underside of the Elche 0, Eibar 2 (Garcia 3, Albentosa 42) and the Colombian doubled the visitors’ well together and that was the best thing we bar. advantage with a sumptuous left-footed effort can take from the game.” The European cham- Lux was badly at fault for Real’s third goal, Spanish league table after yesterday’s two early matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): that curled into the top corner. pions had dismissed some of the early season though, as he raced off his line to close down A goalkeeping howler from German Lux pessimism at the Santiago Bernabeu with a 5-1 Benzema and despite bringing down the Barcelona 3 3 0 0 6 0 9 Malaga 3 1 1 1 1 3 4 then allowed Ronaldo to fire into an empty net hammering of Basel in the Champions League Frenchman, referee Pedro Jesus Perez Montero Granada 4 2 2 0 4 2 8 Elche 4 1 1 2 4 8 4 to make it 3-0 before the break, but Depor did in midweek, but badly needed a win to keep in allowed play to continue so Ronaldo could Valencia 3 2 1 0 7 2 7 Deportivo La Coruna 4 1 1 2 6 12 4 Sevilla 3 2 1 0 5 2 7 Athletic Bilbao 4 1 0 3 3 4 3 manage to pull one back when Haris touch with leaders Barcelona who have made double his tally for the afternoon by rolling the Atletico Madrid 3 2 1 0 4 2 7 Getafe 3 1 0 2 2 5 3 Medunjanin converted from the penalty spot a 100 percent start to life under new boss Luis ball into an empty net. Real Madrid 4 2 0 2 13 8 6 Rayo Vallecano 3 0 2 1 4 5 2 after Sergio Ramos was adjudged to have han- Enrique. And Ancelotti is still looking for an Deportivo were given a glimmer of hope at Eibar 4 2 0 2 4 3 6 Almeria 3 0 2 1 2 3 2 dled. improvement in other areas of the pitch. the start of the second-half as Ramos was Celta Vigo 3 1 2 0 6 4 5 Cordoba 3 0 2 1 2 4 2 However, Gareth Bale struck twice in the “We have to improve. Today we showed the harshly penalised for handball and Real Sociedad 3 1 1 1 6 5 4 Espanyol 3 0 1 2 3 6 1 final 25 minutes before Ronaldo rounded off quality everyone knows we have which is the Medunjanin sent Iker Casillas the wrong way Villarreal 3 1 1 1 2 1 4 Levante 3 0 1 2 0 5 1 his hat-trick to ensure Real bounced back in capability to score in many different ways. from the penalty spot. style after suffering consecutive defeats to Real “We need to continue improving the bal- However, Real put the game to bed 24 min- over Lux with ease before Ronaldo collected made his case for a start at home to Elche in Sociedad and Atletico Madrid in their last two ance and our consistency. After two defeats we utes from time when Marcelo played in Bale on Rodriguez’s pass and powered the ball home midweek. league outings. have scored 13 goals and that is a good sign the left side of the area and this time he fin- with his left foot to complete his hat-trick 12 The Mexican international thumped a vol- Toche headed home a late consolation for that we have responded well.” ished via the far post to register his third goal minutes from time. ley into the top corner two minutes from time the hosts, but Javier Hernandez rounded off a Depor’s resistence was broken just before of the season. Deportivo snatched a consolation six min- before seeing his next effort loop of a stray fine day for Real when he volleyed home his the half hour mark, though, as Ronaldo leaped Bale produced another moment of quality utes from time as Toche headed home, but Depor defender’s leg and over the hapless Lux. first two goals for the club since joining on to meet Arbeloa’s cross and directed a fine to make it 5-1 as he flicked Isco’s through ball Real fittingly had the final word as Hernandez — AFP Welbeck on target as Kranjcar rescues QPR Arsenal down Villa the 11th minute. With QPR’s defenders baffled by the nimble footwork of Victor Moses, the formance. QPR 2 Nigerian winger looped a high cross to the far He set up Mesut Ozil to score in the post. Aston Villa 0 32nd minute at Villa Park before the Crouch rose highest, appearing to get away German returned the favour to tee up with climbing on the back of QPR’s Rio Ferdinand Welbeck barely two minutes later. Stoke 2 in the process, before nodding down for Diouf to Villa, who had been hit by a sick- alertly divert his header past Rob Green from Arsenal 3 ness bug, conceded a third goal in the close-range. 36th minute as Aly Cissokho put into LONDON: QPR narrowly avoided their fourth On-loan Chelsea star Moses was tormenting his own net from ’s cross. the QPR defence with his pace and power and he The hosts were without Darren defeat of the season as a fine late BIRMINGHAM: Danny Welbeck scored created a glorious chance for Crouch, who Bent and due to illness equaliser from Croatia midfielder Niko Kranjcar his first Arsenal goal as Arsene should have scored but instead flashed his shot before Ashley Westwood pulled out rescued a 2-2 draw against Stoke yesterday. Wenger’s side put their disappointing narrowly wide from the edge of the area. following the warm-up, with Carlos Harry Redknapp’s side have endured a diffi- recent form behind them with a trio of The hosts lost midfielder Joey Barton to an Sanchez drafted in. cult start on their return to the top-flight and goals in just over three first-half min- injury before half-time, but they shrugged off ’s side had shocked BIRMINGHAM: Aston Villa’s Aly Cissokho (right) vies for the ball against they were in danger of another dispiriting loss utes to win 3-0 away to Aston Villa yes- that setback to equalise in the 42nd minute. Liverpool last week with a 1-0 win at Arsenal’s Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla (left) during the English Premier after twice falling behind at Loftus Road. terday. Anfield and and they nearly went League football match. —AFP Mame Biram Diouf opened the scoring for With Begovic failing to claim a corner, Caulker Victory saw Arsenal move to within ahead just three minutes into this shot that went just over the bar. It was a major moment in the the visitors and, following Steven Caulker’s was unchecked as he jumped to head goalwards three points of Premier League leaders match. But Villa could have taken the lead match and Villa manager Lambert, equaliser, it was Peter Crouch who restored at the far post. Stoke still had a chance to get out Chelsea and meant they ended Villa’s A poor Wojciech Szczesny kick when Senderos’s header sailed over who this week signed a new four-year Stoke’s lead against his former club. of trouble but the calamitous defending contin- unbeaten start to the league season. went straight to Fabian Delph who the bar after a threatening Tom contract, will have been frustrated But with just two minutes remaining, QPR’s ued as Crouch, ignoring the presence of team- The Gunners had not won in their exchanged passes with Andreas Cleverley corner. with what was to follow especially late pressure was rewarded when former mate Charlie Adam behind him on the goalline, last three matches and had only one Weimann before seeing his shot from Meanwhile, Arsenal’s Aaron with US-based owner Randy Lerner- stretched awkwardly for the ball and diverted it league victory to their name this term Tottenham midfielder Kranjcar scored his first outside the area saved by the goal- Ramsey fired another warning shot who has put the Birmingham club up into his own net. ahead of this game. goal since January. Kranjcar’s equaliser left both keeper. with a drilled effort just wide from a for sale-watching his first Villa game in Crouch made amends in emphatic fashion six But Welbeck, a £16 million ($26.6 QPR and Stoke with just one win each from their At the other end, Welbeck signalled Santi Cazorla set-piece. the flesh in two years. Lambert’s side minutes after half-time when QPR defender million, 20.2 million euros) signing first five matches this season. to the Villa defence-which included Szczesny made a crucial interven- had conceded just one goal in the Mauricio Isla dwelt too long on the ball, allowing from Manchester United on transfer QPR fans were quick to jeer Stoke boss Mark and Philippe Senderos in tion as he dived to keep out a Clark league going into this game but then Moses to steal possession and sweep in a low deadline day, helped his new side Hughes, who had a short and underwhelming the absence of injured captain Ron header after Cleverley’s free-kick had let in three in three minutes and 12 cross which the former Liverpool striker fired past change all that with an impressive per- spell in charge of the west London club. But they Vlaar and Baker-his intentions with a swung its way to Villa’s centre back. seconds. — AFP were silenced when Hughes’ side took the lead in Green with a fine left-foot finish. — AFP