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<heading>CKN;SPAIN-RECAP
</heading>
<msg_id EventId=
"">4653491</msg_id>
<category>News
</category>
<sport>SOC-SPA
</sport>
<url>/soc-spa/news/CKN4653491.htm
</url>
<location>
<country>Spain
</country>
</location>
<SMS>Ronaldo's double inspires Real Madrid
</SMS>
<text>
Madrid, Spain (SportsNetwork.com) - Real Madrid moved to within five points
of the top spot in La Liga on Monday after easing to a
3-
0 victory over Celta
Vigo behind a double from Cristiano Ronaldo at the Bernabeu.
</text>
<continue>
<P>
Real entered the day trailing Barcelona and Atletico Madrid by seven points in
the table and needed a three-point effort on home soil to keep the pressure on
the leaders.
</P>
<P>
But early on Real Madrid was wasteful with its opportunities on goal and went
into the halftime break scoreless against a Celta Vigo side that sat in
17th
place and was battling relegation.
</P>
<P>
In the second half, however, manager Carlo Ancelotti made a pair of offensive-
minded substitutions, bringing on Jese for Isco in the
62nd minute, and Gareth
Bale for Angel Di Maria in the
65th minute.
</P>
<P>
The personnel changes paid off as Real finally broke the deadlock in the
67th
minute when Jese worked his way to the end line on the left flank before
sending a low cross into the penalty area where Karim Benzema was there to
flick it into the top right corner with the outside of his boot.
</P>
<P>
Ronaldo struck for his first goal of the night nine minutes from time as he
turned home a low cross from Daniel Carvajal before finishing his brace in
stoppage time in much the same fashion, this time blasting home a cross from
Bale for his
20th goal of the campaign.
</P>
<P>
The result drops Celta Vigo into
18th place in La Liga with
16 points from
18
matches, one adrift from safety.
</P>
<P>
Also in La Liga on Monday, Ikechukwu Uche bagged a hat trick and Jeremy Perbet
added a brace to lead Villarreal to a convincing
5-
2 thrashing of Rayo
Vallecano at the Campo de Futbol de Vallecas.
</P>
</continue>
<time_stamp> January
6,
2014, at
05:
55 PM ET
</time_stamp>
</message>