Benzema shines as Real Madrid takes top spot from Atletico

Real Madrid has taken the provisional lead in the race for the La Liga Santander title. Los Blancos moved ahead of Atletico Madrid following a victory against Cadiz on Wednesday. However, their city rivals have a game in hand and can potentially reclaim the top spot in the next few days.

As expected, the match was played under the shadow of the European Super League controversy. Cadiz fans protested outside the stadium, reflecting the criticism that continues to mount against the controversial new league led by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.

Nevertheless, Zinedine Zidane has insisted that he and his players are only focused on the match at hand and the competitions that they are currently involved in. Real Madrid sealed a convincing victory with three goals in the first half, taking them level on 70 points with Atletico. Real takes the top spot thanks to a superior head-to-head record.

Karim Benzema opened up the score board with a spot kick in the 30th minute. Three minutes later, he provided an assist for Alvaro Odriozola to double the lead. The Frenchman then completed his brace five minutes before the break to seal the 3-0 victory.

The convincing victory is just what the Real Madrid squad needed after suffering a setback against Getafe on Sunday. They dropped a crucial 2 points which could later make or break their title defence. Apart from Atletico, FC Barcelona also has a chance to leapfrog the current leaders. They are 5 points behind with 65 points, but with a potential for 6 more points thanks to two games in hand.

Next week, Real Madrid will be facing another challenge as they go up against Chelsea in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, the very competition that the ESL wants to replace.

Real Madrid is aiming to bring home a record-extending 14th Champions League crown this season, and it remains to be seen if that campaign will be dampened by the ESL controversy.