Real Madrid up to fourth after hammering Athletic Bilbao

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a third league hat-trick in four games as Real Madrid moved into the top four of La Liga with a 5-0 win over Athletic Bilbao this evening.

The visitors started disastrously as the Portuguese forward stole a yard on Oscar de Marco to head home Gareth Bale's cross after just two minutes.

Ronaldo almost doubled his tally five minutes later when he fired a low shot on target after a number of step-overs had taken him inside the penalty area.

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Iker Muniain had Athletic's best chance of the half, but his speculative effort was comfortably tipped over by Iker Casillas in the Real Madrid goal before the half-hour mark.

France international striker Karim Benzema doubled the advantage shortly before the break when he nodded home a corner to put Los Blancos firmly in control at Santiago Bernabeu.

Carlo Ancelotti's side started the second half as they ended the first, and Bale missed a great chance to make it 3-0 when he curled an effort well over the bar after a sharp counter-attack.

However, the third was soon registered, and it was Ronaldo again, as he converted inside the six-yard box after a pass across the face of the goal from Bale.

Casillas, who was largely untroubled all evening, was forced into a smart save to deny Ibai Gomez just before the hour mark moments after Bale had gone close down the other end.

Bale thought that he made it 4-0 on 66 minutes, but the Welshman was flagged offside after finishing off Marcelo's cross, before Benzema scored with a tap-in after Ronaldo unselfishly squared to his teammate.

Ronaldo then claimed his 22nd La Liga hat-trick as the clocked ticked towards stoppage time to wrap up an emphatic win for Los Blancos.