Real Madrid inched to within four points of LaLiga leaders Barcelona thanks to Gonzalo Garcia’s stunning first career hat-trick in a 5-1 demolition of Real Betis on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabeu.
With star striker Kylian Mbappe sidelined through injury, Gonzalo Garcia stepped up to lead the line and delivered a sensational display.
He opened the scoring in the 20th minute, nodding home Rodrygo’s inviting free-kick into the bottom-right corner, giving Madrid the early advantage.
Xabi Alonso’s side dominated possession but struggled for precision, with chances from Aurelien Tchouameni and Nelson Deossa going begging before the break.
However, Madrid quickly doubled their lead after the restart when Garcia unleashed a superb volley past Betis goalkeeper Alvaro Valles following a precise chest-down from Federico Valverde.
Raul Asencio appeared to seal the match with a header from another Rodrygo delivery, only for Betis to pull one back through Cucho Hernandez.
But Gonzalo Garcia’s brilliance shone again, completing his hat-trick eight minutes from time with a clever flick from Arda Guler’s cross. Fran Garcia added the finishing touch in stoppage time, nodding home another Valverde assist, cementing Madrid’s emphatic victory.
The win not only marked Garcia’s first goals in LaLiga this season but also made him only the second Madrid player in the 21st century to score his first three league goals in a single match, following Ruud Van Nistelrooy in 2006.
Rodrygo was equally impressive, providing two assists and continuing his recent rich vein of form, having been involved in four goals across his last five outings, matching his tally from his previous 36 appearances.
Madrid’s dominance was clear statistically as well, registering an expected goals (xG) of 2.91 from 19 attempts, compared to Betis’ 0.98 from 13 shots.
Alonso’s side, in Mbappe’s absence, not only found solutions but did so with flair, keeping the pressure on their Catalan rivals atop the table.
