Los Blancos go top of LaLiga with emphatic win
Real Madrid kicked off 2020 with a 3-0 win away to Getafe in LaLiga thanks to an own goal from David Soria, a Raphael Varane header, a late Luka Modric strike and three spectacular saves from Thibaut Courtois.
Getafe made life extremely difficult for Los Blancos in the first half, with Jose Bordalas’ side pressing high and breaking up play effectively.
Zinedine Zidane’s men struggled to find any real rhythm, but took the lead after 34 minutes when Ferland Mendy put the ball back in from the left following a free-kick and goalkeeper Soria misjudged his punch under pressure from Varane.
It looked like the defender had scored it, but the goalkeeper touched the ball into his own net - a costly error which marred an excellent first-half performance from the home side.
At the other end, opposite number Courtois made stunning saves to keep out a Leandro Cabrera header, a drive from Mauro Arambarri and a fierce shot from Faycal Fajr.
Getafe also started well in the second half, but the game was effectively killed off when Varane rose unchallenged to head home a Toni Kroos free-kick from the right after 53 minutes.
This one was definitely his and it stood after a long VAR check for offside.
Substitute Vinicius Junior and Gareth Bale both missed glorious chances to make it 3-0 in the final few minutes as Getafe sought a way back into the game, but the Welsh winger led a quick break in the final minute of stoppage time and Fede Valverde squared for Modric to tap in from close range to round off an ultimately emphatic win.
Madrid move provisionally top of the table at the halfway stage, but Barcelona can go two points clear later by beating Espanyol in the Catalan derby.
Getafe drop to seventh spot in LaLiga, where they sit a point behind sixth-placed Valencia.