Ronaldo steps up and unleashes a thumping shot from the free-kick, but he's unable to put enough dip on the effort and it fails to find its intended target.
90' +1
Petros gets yellow.
Asensio breaks forward on a determined run through the middle of the pitch before being dragged back by Petros, who receives a late yellow card for his cynical challenge. Madrid are then awarded a free-kick in a dangerous position, and will it result in a seventh goal for the visitors?
90'
Two more chances for Castro! A low cross from Durmisi finds Castro, but his shot fails to beat Varane in front of him. However, Betis quickly win the ball back before it's curled into the middle of the penalty area, where it finds Castro once again, but this time the veteran forward's headed effort is easily stopped by Navas.
The fourth official has indicated that there will be two minutes of added time.
89'
The home side push forward on another late attacking move before Castro tries to test Navas from the edge of the penalty area, but his low shot fails to trouble the Costa Rican and ends up trickling a few yards wide of the near post.
87'
Betis go close! Joaquin, who has arguably been the home side's best player tonight, weaves his way into the right-hand side of the Madrid penalty area before slotting a low pass into the middle of the box, but there's nobody there to meet it and Isco is just about able to clear the danger under pressure from both Castro and Cejudo.
85'
Morata darts towards the Betis penalty area on a great run before teeing up Ronaldo to his left, but the Portuguese forward decides to unleash a shot from a tight angle instead of sending the ball back to Morata and ends up firing the ball comfortably wide of the near post.
83'
Betis come back once again as they try to find another late consolation goal, but a poked pass into the penalty area fails to reach Cejudo, who had made a good run forward, and is instead cut out by Varane, who then tees up Navas to thump the ball out of play for a throw-in.
81'
Asensio flies into Ceballos and brings the midfielder crashing to the ground just outside of the Madrid penalty area, resulting in a free-kick for the home side in a very dangerous position. However, they're unable to make it count and the home fans show their displeasure with plenty of boos and jeers.
79'
Marco Asensio enters the game and replaces G. Bale.
Madrid have made their final substitution of the game, with Asensio coming on to replace Bale for the final 11 minutes.
78'
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored a goal for Real Madrid! Assist by Álvaro Morata.
Morata has been credited with the assist, but that goal was all about Ronaldo, who took a group of Betis players completely out of the game with what was an excellent run through the middle of the pitch.
GOAL! It's six for Madrid! Ronaldo breaks through the Betis defence on a great, marauding run before reaching the edge of the penalty area, and he then rifles a wonderful rocket of a shot that easily beats Adan to wrap up an emphatic victory for Los Blancos.
Minute
Description
77'
R. Zozulia gets yellow.
After dealing with the danger, Betis break away on another counter-attack down the right wing. Cejudo tries to muscle his way into the Madrid penalty area but is unable to do so before losing possession to Vazquez, who is then cynically fouled from behind by Zozulya.
76'
Morata immediately wins his side a free-kick in a dangerous position after being tripped over as he heads towards the Betis penalty area. Ronaldo immediately grabs the ball and sets himself before unleashing a shot, but it's sent straight at the wall camped in front of him.
75'
Álvaro Morata enters the game and replaces K. Benzema.
Benzema makes his way off the pitch to be replaced by Morata for the final 15 minutes.
73'
And now Ronaldo goes close! Another opportunity is presented to Madrid, but this time it's Ronaldo who ends up sending a close-range header over the top of the crossbar after doing well to beat his marker in the middle of the box. They just can't seem to find their sixth goal, no matter what they try to do!
72'
Fantastic save by Adan! Madrid come back again quickly as Benzema flies into the Betis penalty area, but this time he sees a rocket of a shot from 15 yards away parried away from danger by another great stop from the former Madrid goalkeeper.
71'
Vital stop by Adan! Ronaldo twists and turns on the left-hand side of the Betis penalty area before firing a low cross into the path of Benzema, who is lurking with intent in front of goal, but the goalkeeper gets down low to push the ball away from the striker with a strong wrist.
70'
Poor play from Varane allows Betis to fly forward on another great counter-attack down the right flank, but after getting himself into a good position Piccini fails to pick out a teammate inside the penalty area and instead sends it right on to the head of Pepe.
69'
A nice flick from Ronaldo on the edge of the Betis box finds Benzema in a good position inside the penalty area, but the Frenchman's first touch is slightly too heavy and sends the ball away from him before he's able to get a shot away.
67'
Dani Ceballos enters the game and replaces J. Martin.
It's a final roll of the dice for Poyet, who has decided to replace Martin with Ceballos.
66'
Betis move the ball around nicely just outside of the Madrid penalty area before Cejudo is finally able to get a shot away from just inside the box, but he's put under pressure by Marcelo and snatches at the ball to send it safely wide of the goal.
65'
Lucas Vázquez enters the game and replaces M. Kovačić.
Madrid have made their first alteration of the night, with Kovacic making way for Vazquez.
64'
Cejudo gets yellow.
Marcelo holds on to possession deep inside his own half of the pitch and doesn't seem in a particular hurry to get rid of the ball. He's put under pressure by Cejudo and is eventually barged to the ground by the forward, and the Brazilian reacts angrily to the challenge before the referee awards a free-kick to Madrid.
Yellow card Álvaro Cejudo Carmona
62'
Isco has scored a goal for Real Madrid! Assist by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo's cross missed Benzema after being sent behind the Frenchman, but no Betis players had tracked the run of Isco and gifted the midfielder with the chance to further his side's lead, which he did with aplomb.
GOAL! Madrid have re-established their four-goal lead! Bale breaks into the Betis box before teeing up Ronaldo over on the right-hand side. His cross fails to find Benzema but is picked up by Isco, who then curls a brilliant shot past Adan and into the top right-hand corner of the net.
61'
Castro breaks towards the Madrid penalty area as they once again try to carve the visitors in two on a swift counter-attack. The forward picks out Joaquin, who then pokes the ball back to the number 24, but he spends slightly too long on the ball and is unable to get a shot away.
59'
Joaquin patiently jogs towards the byline before swinging a cross into the middle of the Madrid box, but Pepe is there to beat Cejudo to the ball in the air before the linesman eventually raises his flag to indicate that Joaquin had run the ball out of play, despite the winger's protests.
57'
After sitting on the back foot for the past five minutes or so, Madrid are able to push forward once again. Carvajal breaks down the right wing before firing a looping cross into the heart of the penalty area, but it fails to find Benzema and is well dealt with by the home side.
55'
Cejudo has scored a goal for Real Betis! Assist by Joaquín.
GOAL! Betis have pulled one back! An awful pass from Pepe is cut out by Martin, who immediately passes the ball into the feet of Joaquin. With his back to goal, the winger pokes it over to Cejudo, who beats Isco for pace before slotting a lovely low shot past Navas and into the back of the net. Game on?
That was a lovely flick by Joaquin, who has looked dangerous since the start of the second half, but questions have to be asked of Pepe, who was far too careless with his attempted clearance.
54'
Betis, who have looked far better during the opening 10 minutes of the second half than they did in the entirety of the opening 45, get themselves into a good position through Durmisi down the left flank, but the Dane's swinging cross is easily collected by Navas.
53'
Joaquin goes close again! The winger flies into the penalty area and latches on to a great pass before slicing a low shot past Navas, but there's slightly too much curl on the shot and it ends up rolling a yard or so wide of the far post.
52'
Chance for Joaquin! Piccini breaks down the right flank on another great counter-attack by Betis. His attempted cut-back into the box fails to beat Pepe but he's able to chip a cross into the middle of the box, where it finds Joaquin. The winger tries to send a bouncing header into the back of the net, but Pepe gets back to cut out the danger with another vital block.
51'
Betis deal with the resulting free-kick before hitting Madrid on a quick counter-attack. Castro flies down the right wing on a purposeful run before swinging a dangerous cross into the heart of the penalty area, but Pepe is there to chest the ball into the hands of Navas.
49'
G. Pezzella gets yellow.
Pezzella barges into Isco and brings the Madrid midfielder crashing to the ground, resulting in him becoming the latest player to receive a yellow card.
48'
Madrid work the ball around nicely midway inside the Betis half of the pitch before Benzema unleashes a strike from 25 yards out, but there's far too much powerful behind the shot and the Frenchman's effort flies over the top of the crossbar and into the construction site behind the goal.
46'
Cejudo enters the game and replaces Álex Alegría.
R. Zozulia enters the game and replaces D. Brašanac.
And we're underway once again!
Betis have made two changes during the half-time break, with Brasanac making way for Zozulya in the first alteration.
Meanwhile, Alegria, who struggled during the first half, has made way for Cejudo.
45'
Isco has scored a goal for Real Madrid! Assist by Pepe.
That was wonderful play by Pepe, who could have gone for goal himself but instead set up Isco for an easy tap-in. But, once again, Betis were torn apart by a great Madrid counter-attack that left the home side looking incredibly exposed at the back.
GOAL! And now it's 4-0! The Betis corner is easily dealt with by Madrid, who then break away on a quick counter-attack. They fly down the left wing before a low cross from Ronaldo finds Pepe at the far post, and the defender selflessly taps the ball past Adan and over to Isco for the midfielder to poke into the back of an empty net. Madrid are running riot!
44'
Castro goes close! Joaquin tees up Piccini over on the right-hand side of the Madrid penalty area and the full-back immediately fires a low cross into the middle of the box, but Castro is beaten to the ball at the vital moment and fails to tap the ball into the back of the net from close range.
43'
Isco gets yellow.
After the attacking move comes to an end, the referee goes back to Isco and shows the Madrid midfielder a yellow card for a cynical challenge on Durmisi as the Dane broke away through the middle of the pitch.
42'
A looping cross from Carvajal almost finds Ronaldo at the far post, but Mandi is there to head the ball out for another Madrid corner. It's dealt with well by the home side before they break away on a quick counter-attack, but it fails to result in a chance on goal after an attempted through-ball from Castro fails to find a teammate.
41'
It's all Madrid at the moment as they continue putting Betis under plenty of pressure. The home side have seen very little of the ball thus far and are struggling at the back, where time and time again Madrid are tearing them apart every time they push forward.
39'
Marcelo has scored a goal for Real Madrid!
GOAL! It's 3-0! Madrid quickly win the ball back and work it over to Benzema, who unleashes a low shot from just outside of the penalty area. His effort takes a deflection that sends it towards Marcelo, who knocks the ball off his shoulder and into his feet before beating Adan with a bouncing half-volley.
38'
Madrid come back again down the right flank and win themselves a corner. The set-piece is sent towards the near post, where a group of purple shirts are waiting, but it fails to clear the first man and is easily dealt with by Betis.
37'
Bale holds up the ball deep down the right flank and cuts inside before swinging a curling cross into the heart of the Betis box, but Adan reads the flight of the ball well and charges out to collect the ball before it can find the head of Ronaldo.
35'
Great chance for Piccini! Joaquin tries to atone for his earlier error by breaking down the right wing on a marauding run, and he then spins and finds Piccini. The full-back cuts inside quickly and heads along the edge of the box before curling a great shot over towards the top left-hand corner of the net, but there's slightly too much power behind the strike and it ends up sailing just wide of the Madrid goal.
33'
And now Marcelo goes close! Isco picks up the ball over on the left-hand side of the Betis box before poking a pass through to Marcelo, who easily beats his marker. The full-back flies towards the byline before firing a low cross-cum-shot towards the near post, but Adan is there to push it away from the goal.
31'
K. Benzema has scored a goal for Real Madrid! Assist by T. Kroos.
GOAL! Madrid have doubled their lead! Joaquin clumsily loses possession in the middle of the pitch and allows Kroos to fly forward on a great run. He charges towards the penalty area before teeing up Benzema, who then sends Adan diving the wrong way before slotting the ball into the bottom left-hand corner of the net.
It was a great run forward from Kroos, who then selflessly picked out Benzema in front of goal, but Joaquin gifted the ball to the German whilst Adan went diving to his left far too quickly.
30'
Another chance for Castro! The forward is left in a pocket of space over on the left-hand side of the Madrid penalty area, allowing him to take a couple of touches before unleashing a curling strike that ends up flying just a few yards wide of the far post.
29'
Marcelo holds off Joaquin deep down the left wing before cutting inside and heading towards the edge of the Betis penalty area. He then tries to test Adan from 20 yards out, but, like Ronaldo a few minutes ago, the Brazilian's effort is poor and ends up rolling into the hands of Adan.
28'
Joaquin, who has arguably been Betis' best player thus far, weaves his way through the Madrid midfield on his way to the penalty area. He reaches the edge of the box and then pokes a pass over to Alegria, but the striker's first touch is horribly heavy and denies him the opportunity to play a one-two with the winger.
26'
Betis lose the ball in the middle of the pitch, allowing Madrid to get forward quickly. Ronaldo picks up possession on the edge of the penalty area and spins quickly before firing a low shot towards goal, but it's a daisy-cutter of a strike and fails to cause Adan too many problems.
25'
Vital interception by Varane! Betis embark on a lengthy spell of possession before Joaquin breaks down the right wing. He then cuts inside and tees up Martin, who then tries to pull off a one-two with a smart pass into the Madrid box, but Varane is there to cut out the danger before Joaquin can make contact with the ball in front of goal.
23'
A half-hearted Betis attacking move comes to an end, allowing Madrid to break forward quickly. Bale flies down the right wing on a great run and cuts inside before trying to beat Durmisi on the edge of the penalty area, but the Welshman's final touch is slightly too heavy and sends the ball out of play for a goal-kick.
22'
A cross-field pass from Isco almost runs out of play for a throw-in, but Marcelo does well to keep it in play. The Brazilian then sends yet another dangerous cross into the middle of the Betis box, but Ronaldo is out-muscled by his marker and is unable to meet the ball with his head after getting himself into a good position.
21'
Madrid move the ball around nicely deep down the left flank before the ball is sent towards the edge of the penalty area, where Kovacic is waiting. The Croatian meets it well before trying to tee up Benzema with a deft through-ball, but it fails to find the striker and ends up trickling into the hands of Adan.
19'
Almost a costly mistake by Kroos! A poor pass from the German fails to find Isco and is cut out by Brasanac, who then quickly tees up Castro, but the latter brings a promising attacking move to a disappointing end with a curling strike that flies over the top of the crossbar.
17'
Another cross is fired into the penalty area from the left wing and this time it's from Ronaldo, who did well to skip away from his marker, but this time Adan is able to dart out and collect the ball before it can find anyone in purple in front of goal.
15'
Another good cross is flung into the heart of the penalty area from the resulting corner, but this time Bale is unable to hit the target with his towering header and sends it looping over the crossbar and out for a goal-kick.
14'
Great save by Adan! Marcelo, who has started the game brilliantly, finds himself in far too much space over on the left flank before swinging a great cross over to the far post, where it finds Bale, but, somehow, Adan is just about able to stop it from squirming under him before pushing the ball out for another Madrid corner.
13'
Marcelo does well to keep the ball in play before trying to set up Benzema, but Madrid again have to settle for a corner over on the left flank. Betis hold on once again before a looping throw-in finds Ronaldo in the middle of the penalty area, but the Portuguese's headed effort fails to trouble Adan and sails well wide of the goal.
11'
Kovacic flies through the Betis defence and into the penalty area, where he's dispossessed by a great sliding tackle from Pezzella that pokes the ball out for a corner. The set-piece initially fails to trouble the hosts before falling to Kovacic on the edge of the box, but his attempted half-volley is wild and sails several yards over the top of the crossbar.
9'
There's a bit of confusion on the sideline after an attempted clearance from Kroos hits the referee before flying out of play. The linesman initially awards a throw-in to Madrid before he's acosted by Betis players, resulting in the decision being rightly changed in the home side's favour.
7'
Martin sprints down the right wing and skips past two challenges before firing a low cross into the middle of the Madrid box, but Varane is there to cut out the danger before the ball can find a white and green shirt in front of goal.
6'
What a miss by Ronaldo! Betis desperately push forward as they try to find a quick equaliser, but Madrid are easily able to deal with the danger before breaking away on a quick counter-attack. Bale and Isco link up brilliantly over on the right-hand side of the penalty area before the latter swings a beautiful cross over to the far post, but, somehow, Ronaldo ends up blasting his close-range volley over the top of the crossbar.
4'
R. Varane has scored a goal for Real Madrid! Assist by T. Kroos.
GOAL! Yes they can! Kroos steps up and curls a great cross into the heart of the Betis penalty area, where it finds Varane, and the Frenchman is easily able to rise above his marker before beating Adan with a great towering header that finds the back of the net.
That was a lovely cross by Kroos to pick out Varane, but questions have to be asked of the Betis defence, who were far too static and failed to pick up the centre-back in front of goal.
3'
Marcelo and Ronaldo link up well deep down the left wing before the latter is brought crashing to the ground, resulting in an early free-kick for Madrid in a dangerous position. Can they take advantage of it to give themselves an early lead?
1'
And we're off! Betis get us underway, attacking from left to right.
Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s La Liga game between Real Betis and Real Madrid at the Estadio Benito Villamarin.
If they haven’t started already, it’s almost time to panic for Madrid fans, who head into this evening’s clash in fourth place in the league table after failing to win any of their last four games. Three of those have come in La Liga, and it’s now almost seven and a half years since they last failed to win five times in a row. As a result, the pressure is firmly on Zinedine Zidane and his men to deliver.
Despite Madrid having recent history on their side, Betis put up a fight in the corresponding fixture last season and came away with a well-earned point. An early Cejudo goal wasn’t cancelled out by Karim Benzema until the 71st minute, and Poyet will be hoping for a similar performance from his men tonight as they look to take advantage of an out-of-form Madrid side lacking in confidence.
Betis head into tonight’s tough clash in 14th place with eight points under their belts, but they’ve already proven to be stubborn opponents at the Villamarin. Gus Poyet’s side are unbeaten in three home games and have conceded goals in just one of those, whilst they have lost just two of their last 13 clashes on home soil.
Another victory for local rivals Atletico means that Madrid remain three points away from the top of the table, but a return to winning ways will see them move back above both Barcelona and Sevilla and up to second place. On paper, the omens look good for them, as Betis have only managed to beat Los Blancos once in the last 10 meetings between the two sides.
Real Madrid substitutes: Casilla, Nacho, Danilo, Diaz, Asensio, Vazquez, Morata.
Real Madrid XI (4-3-3): Navas; Carvajal, Pepe, Varane, Marcelo; Isco, Kroos, Kovacic; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo.
Real Betis substitutes: Gimenez, Donk, Cejudo, Musonda, Ceballos, Zozulya, Sanabria.
Real Betis XI (4-3-3): Adan; Piccini, Mandi, Pezzella, Durmisi; Brasanac, Petros, Martin; Joaquin, Alegria, Castro.
There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this evening...
Meanwhile, Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has made just one alteration to the team that featured against Eibar in their last outing, with Danilo making way for Marcelo, who returns after almost a month out with a calf injury.
Gus Poyet has decided to make four changes to the Betis side that started the defeat against Real Sociedad just before the international break, with Aissa Mandi, Riza Durmisi, Jonas Martin and Darko Brasanac coming into the starting line-up to replace Bruno Gonzalez, Alex Martinez, Felipe Gutierrez and Dani Ceballos, respectively.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
HALF-TIME: REAL BETIS 0-4 REAL MADRID
After going four games without a win, it looks almost certain that Madrid are going to leave with one tonight. They have run riot so far and made life a misery for Betis, who have constantly struggled to keep their opponents at bay whenever they push forward. Zinedine Zidane's men have looked far more clinical than they have been in previous weeks, and, as a result, they can now take their foot off the pedal slightly knowing that all three points are as good as theirs.
The two teams are making their way back out on to the pitch ahead of the start of the second half.
FULL-TIME: REAL BETIS 1-6 REAL MADRID
Boos ring around the stadium as the referee blows his whistle for the final time. Madrid were always favourites to leave with all three points, but Betis really were poor and struggled for the vast majority of the game. Too often they were torn apart inside their own half of the pitch, where the visitors could have scored two or three more goals if it wasn't for a series of great saves by Adan. At the other end, Joaquin, Castro and Cejudo were presented with a few chances, but only the latter was able to take advantage of his on what was a frustrating night for Gus Poyet's men.
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