Real Madrid returned to the top of La Liga with a comfortable 2-0 win over Real Mallorca of which the highlight was a stunning Sergio Ramos free-kick.
Barcelona had put the pressure back on Zinedine Zidane’s side in the title race with a win over Athletic Club on Tuesday night but Los Blancos responded well, leapfrogging their Catalan rivals once again on the basis of the head-to-head record.
Gareth Bale was handed a rare start despite having only played 29 minutes since the resumption of the Liga season, but it was Vinicius Junior on the other wing who broke the deadlock after 19 minutes, chipping Monolo Reina after a dummy inside the box from the Welshman.
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Vinicius attempted another chip moments later but struck the bar before Ramos doubled Real Madrid’s advantage in the second half, whipping home a free-kick finish from 25 yards out in a manner that would have made David Beckham proud.
The result puts the capital club back ahead of defending champions Barca on their head-to-head record with a trip to face Espanyol up next for Zidane’s men. The Spanish title race looks set to go down to the wire.