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News ID: 73629
Publish Date : 07 December 2019 - 22:18

Madrid Top Espanyol to Move to Top in Spanish League

MADRID (AP) -- French players Raphael Varane and Karim Benzema scored a goal in each half Saturday as injury-depleted Real Madrid defeated Espanyol 2-0 to provisionally move ahead of Barcelona at the top of the Spanish league.
The win at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium extended Madrid’s unbeaten run in all competitions to nine matches. It was their fourth straight league win, and the 14th in the last 15 games against Espanyol across all competitions.
Espanyol, winless in six league games, stayed second-to-last in the standings.
‘’We clearly suffered,’’ Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. ‘’We know Espanyol are not a team that deserves to be where they are in the table. But in the end we were patient and earned a deserved victory.’’
Varane opened the scoring with a low left-foot shot from inside the area in the 37th minute after a well-placed pass by Benzema, who sealed the victory with a shot from close range in the 79th after being set up by Federico Valverde.
Benzema, who has eight goals in his last six matches, is the league’s leading scorer with 11 goals, two more than Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.