Real Madrid returned to winning ways in La Liga with a 2-0 victory over in-form Eibar on Sunday afternoon.
Los Blancos opened the scoring late in the first period through Gareth Bale, before a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty in the 82nd minute secured all the points for the visitors.
The result has kept Real Madrid third in the table, but they are now just six points off the leaders Barcelona.
Eibar, meanwhile, remain seventh following their third league defeat of the season.
Here, Sports Mole has dissected the 90 minutes of action between the two teams.
Match statistics
EIBAR
Shots: 8
On target: 3
Possession: 39%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 20
REAL MADRID
Shots: 17
On target: 6
Possession: 61%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 7
Was the result fair?
Eibar must be credited for their work-rate and desire in this match, but it is difficult to say that Real Madrid did not deserve to claim all the points. It was a scrappy game for long spells, with Eibar managing to frustrate the capital outfit during periods of the contest. That said, Eibar, who have been in excellent form this season, did not really create an awful lot of chances and the fact that Real Madrid had nine more attempts than the hosts is an indication of what occurred.
It was always going to be the type of match where the first goal would be important and when Bale converted in the latter stages of the first period, Eibar's task became a lot harder. The hosts arguably shaded the second period in terms of general play, but the better opportunities continued to fall for Los Blancos, who secured the points late on. Eibar showed that they can compete at this level of football, but all things considered, Real Madrid deserved to win this match.
Eibar's performance
Having been officially relegated last season and then later reinstated, many predicted that Eibar would struggle this season. There was a huge turnaround in terms of personnel in the summer, but there is an excellent team spirit at the club. There were no real surprises in the XI that took to the field, with Sergi Enrich in excellent form this season and Saul Berjon proving a handful in wide positions. It was a 4-3-3 formation that was sent out to cause Real Madrid problems and indeed it was the hosts that had the first meaningful chance, with Enrich bringing a decent save from Keylor Navas.
Both teams continued to play their football in what was a very even first period, but it was Real Madrid that created the cleaner chances and the visitors entered the break with a 1-0 lead courtesy of a Bale header. Eibar continued to press in the early stages of the second period and their golden chance to level came on the hour, but after rising inside the box, Aleksandar Pantic could only head wide of the post. It was a chance that they simply could not afford to miss.
Real Madrid had a couple of strong penalty shouts before they were actually awarded a spot kick, which came from a poor challenge from Dani Garcia, who left a leg for Lucas Vasquez to tumble over. The game's second goal was scored from the subsequent penalty and at that point, it was game over. There was plenty of energy from the hosts throughout the contest, but they only had three attempts on target and it is difficult to say that Real Madrid were under serious pressure for long stages of the match. Despite the defeat, there is no question that Eibar can take a lot of positives as they move forward in the season.
Real Madrid's performance
Injuries have really harmed Los Blancos this season and head coach Rafael Benitez was without three of his usual back four for this match. Sergio Ramos, Marcelo and Raphael Varane were all forced to miss the game, which meant that there were starts for Pepe, Nacho and Danilo. James Rodriguez was given the nod alongside Ronaldo and Bale, but it did not really happen for Los Blancos in the early stages. Ronaldo had the game's outstanding chance in the first period, but after collecting a sensational through pass from James, the 30-year-old could not beat Asier Riesgo in the home side's goal.
Real Madrid upped the tempo in the latter stages of the first half, however, and moments after Modric had brought a smart save from Riesgo, the Croatian delivered an excellent cross onto Bale's head for 1-0. Bale had a chance to double his total for the afternoon in the final moments of the first 45 minutes, but the Welshman poked wide from close range. It was far from vintage from Real Madrid in the first period, but they were doing just enough to remain ahead. A response from Eibar would have been expected after the break and it took time for the visitors to settle in the second period.
Ronaldo had a couple of excellent chances to register as the match developed, while he perhaps should have been awarded a penalty when David Junca pushed the attacker inside the box. Eventually Ronaldo did get on the scoresheet from the spot, however, after good feet from Vasquez brought a penalty from Garcia. There was nothing too impressive about Real Madrid's overall performance, but returning to winning ways was vital following back-to-back defeats in Spain's top flight. Bale was in good form once again, meanwhile, and Ronaldo importantly returned to the scoresheet following a frustrating period.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Gareth Bale: There has been a lot of speculation surrounding Bale's future and it has been a frustrating start to the season for the Welshman due to injury and a loss of form. This was much more like it from the 26-year-old, however, who opened the scoring in the first period and delivered a number of excellent crosses from a wide position. Bale's pace proved key in the latter stages when Eibar's legs started to tire.
Biggest gaffe
At 1-0, Eibar would always have had a chance of nicking a point late on. However, that was taken away from them when Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot in the 82nd minute. It was such a cheap foul, however, with Garcia clumsily bringing Vasquez to the ground when the home side were not in any immediate danger. It was a poor challenge from a player that should have known better.
Referee performance
Ronaldo had a long-running battle with referee Jesus Gil, who failed to award the Portuguese a couple of penalties despite strong claims. Junca's second-half challenge on Ronaldo should have been a spot kick, but Gil did award Los Blancos a penalty in the final 10 minutes. It was a surprisingly busy game for the official, who issued seven yellow cards during what was a high-tempo affair. Bit of a mixed bag from Gil here.
What next?
Eibar: Eibar will face Ponferradina in the first leg of their last-32 Copa del Rey clash on Thursday. Their next league match is away to Real Sociedad next weekend.
Real Madrid: Los Blancos are in Copa del Rey action against Cadiz on Wednesday, before returning to league action at home to capital rivals Getafe next weekend.
Matt Law
