Real Madrid v Levante
Gareth Bale was back on the scoresheet as Real Madrid warmed up for next week's vital Clasico with a 2-0 win over Levante.
Bale had come in for more criticism
than most from the Real fans following the midweek Champions League
loss to Schalke but he volleyed home to open the scoring and then deflected Cristiano Ronaldo's shot home just before the break.than most from the Real fans following the midweek Champions League
Real will now travel to the Nou Camp just one point behind Primera Division leaders Barca for a game that will go a long way towards deciding the destiny of the title.
There were just four minutes on the clock when Bale flicked the ball over the Levante defence to Karim Benzema, who squared for Ronaldo but the Portuguese hit the base of a post from 12 yards.
Real were dominating possession but Levante were keeping them at bay, with Ronaldo visibly frustrated as he hit a free-kick into the wall.
The hosts did have the ball in the net as Benzema tucked home a rebound from Luka Modric's piledriver but the Frenchman was a good distance offside.
Bale then saw a header from a corner well saved by Diego Marino but the under-fire Welshman got his goal in the 18th minute. Benzema's cross was acrobatically volleyed towards goal by Ronaldo and while that effort was cleared off the line, Bale was on hand to volley home the rebound for his first league goal in eight games.
Not that an out-of-sorts Ronaldo looked pleased for his team-mate, angrily gesticulating as the rest of the Real players celebrated.
Madrid were utterly dominant and looked certain to get a second as Bale crossed for Ronaldo six yards out but Tono got a foot in front of him to deflect behind.
Levante did get into the game but never looked like scoring and Bale had his second five minutes before the break, although he may not have known a great deal about it.
Modric used the outside of his boot to put a free-kick into the path of Dani Carvajal and he played the ball back to Ronaldo whose shot took a deflection off Bale on the edge of the six-yard box as it went in.
Real continued to have the better of it after the break but it was a fairly run-of-the-mill affair until Benzema nearly scored with a spectacular effort.
Bale's cross was slightly behind the former Lyon striker on the edge of the six-yard box but he managed to volley the ball towards goal with his heel only to see it come back off the crossbar.
The home side continued to press with Marino making smart saves from Bale and Ronaldo but both sides looked to be going through the motions as Real eased to victory.
Malaga vs Cordoba
Second-half goals from Juanmi Lopez and Nordin Amrabat saw Malaga comfortably beat Cordoba 2-0 to pile more misery on the Primera Division's bottom side.
The forward gave the hosts a deserved lead in the 48th minute and then substitute Amrabat came off the bench to score a delightful second, netting for the first time in 10 matches.
Javi Gracia's side tightened their grip on seventh place thanks to the win but things are looking more desperate than ever for Cordoba, who stay rooted to the foot of the table after a seventh straight defeat and are seven points from safety.
Malaga dominated the first half against a placid Cordoba and could have taken the lead through efforts from Roberto Rosales, Juanmi and Samu Castillejo, although the player to get closest to scoring was Arthur Boka, who struck the post from outside the area.
Cordoba found just one way through Malaga's defence in the opening 45 minutes and would have taken the lead but for an excellent save from Carlos Kameni to deny Nabil Ghilas.
Malaga got the goal they deserved just a few minutes into the second half.
The impressive Castillejo dribbled towards the area and drew four Cordoba defenders to him before dinking the ball over their heads for Juanmi to send it into the bottom near corner with a deft touch. The defenders appealed for offside against the 21-year-old but their protests were in vain.
Despite their poor performance, the visitors almost drew level just after the hour mark. An impressive team move left Rene Krhin unmarked in the box and the Inter Milan loanee's shot beat Kameni but was cleared off the line by Malaga captain Weligton.
Malaga were denied a penalty when Ricardo Horta appeared to have his shirt tugged by Fausto Rossi in the area, but they soon put the game out of Cordoba's sights.
Amrabat rushed down the left wing and then cut across from the edge of the area to arrow the ball into the bottom corner.
Fellow substitute Luis Alberto could have grabbed a third late on from a counter, but Cordoba were already well beaten.
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