Real Madrid 3–0 Almería

Real Madrid secured a straight-forward win over Almeria in the Primera Division this afternoon for a precious three points in the bid to overturn Barcelona at the league summit.

A double from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and a strike by Marcelo condemned Almeria to defeat in a match where the result was rarely in doubt.

Juande Ramos opted for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in attack due to concerns over Gonzalo Higuain’s fitness, and he played alongside Raul and Arjen Robben in a three-pronged Real Madrid offence.

Almeria boss Hugo Sanchez however had to make do without star striker Alvaro Negredo, who missed the match through suspension. Kala Uche took his place in the lone forward role.

The first-half was a strangely subdued affair, for such a crucial fixture for the home side. With Barcelona not playing until the evening kick off, Ramos’ side had the chance to pile pressure on the Blaugrana by clinching three points and closing the gap at the top of the table.

However, the first 45 minutes was low on opportunities at goal, and, if anything, it was Almeria who had more possession. However, the key statistic was the scoreline, and it was Los Blancos who had managed to edge in front.

Midway through the half, Wesley Sneijder lined up a long range free-kick, and the ball rebounded to Marcelo at the edge of the area, who unleashed a powerful left foot strike into the roof of the net to give goalkeeper Diego Alves no chance and break the deadlock.

However, Almeria were far from disheartened by going behind, and continued to play football and attack the home side whenever possible. Albert Crusat and Mane linked well on the left hand side, and the latter forced a decent save from Iker Casillas at his near post.

However, that effort and the goal aside, there were precious few efforts of goal of note, with Raul and Huntelaar being particularly wasteful with their efforts, failing to even test Alves.

However, at the second half begun, Real Madrid stamped their superiority all over Almeria, and it was no surprise to see them double their lead.

Marcelo had twice came close to scoring his second of the match, rattling the crossbar then bringing a superb save for Diego Alves, diving down to his left to tip the ball around the post.

Then from the resulting corner Robben dinked the ball into the area and as the ball was headed clear, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar volleyed with precision and power into the roof of the net from the penalty spot and put Madrid into the comfort zone after just 53 minutes of play.

Almeria, to their credit, continued to play and attempt to claw their way back into the match, and a better side could and perhaps should have caused Madrid’s far from assured back four more concern than they ultimately did.

However, Madrid looked the most likely to add to their tally. Gabriel Heinze rose superbly to meet a Sneijder corner on the hour mark but his header was hacked off of the goal-line.

But it wasn’t long before the third came. Sneijder played in Robben with a well-executed pass, and when Diego Alves saved his initial effort, the prolific Huntelaar was on hand to grab his second of the match and his eight La Liga goal since his January transfer from Ajax.

In truth, Los Blancos rarely moved out of second gear this afternoon, and their dominance was highlighted by the withdrawal of Lassana Diarra immediately after the third goal, after the former Chelsea man had barely been involved in the action.