Ronaldo puts Messi in shadows - and Real Madrid back on top (Roundup)

By Duncan Shaw Oct 23, 2010, 23:24 GMT

Madrid - Cristiano Ronaldo eclipsed Lionel Messi on Saturday by scoring four goals in Real Madrid's 6-1 destruction of dismal Racing Santander.

Earlier on Saturday, Barca won 2-0 away to bottom team Zaragoza, with Messi grabbing both of the goals.

Ronaldo is now league top scorer with 10 goals, Messi - who finished as leading marksman last season with 34 - has five.

More importantly, Real are back on top with 20 points from eight games, one ahead of Barca. Real have scored 22 goals and conceded only four, and are looking unstoppable at the moment.

Later on Saturday, third-placed Valencia crashed 2-1 at home to Mallorca, a result which leaves them three points behind Barca and four behind Real.

Valencia's defeat suggests that the battle for La Liga will, once again, be a two-horse race between the 'Big Two.'

The Real Madrid-Santander clash was watched by four of the rescued 33 Chilean miners who captured headlines across the world last week. They had been invited by Real, and enjoyed watching Cristiano Ronaldo's exhibition.

The Portuguese winger said, 'I am very happy because I have never before scored four goals. But the important thing is that the team has won again, and is playing really well.'

Gonzalo Higuain gave Real the lead in the 11th minute after being set up by Angel Di Maria. Five minutes later Ronaldo made it 2-0 on a centre from Higuain then quickly added a third after good work by Mesut Oezil.

Ronaldo completed his hat-trick three minutes into the second half, after controlling a centre from Di Maria. He then made it 5-0 with a calm penalty after Di Maria had been pulled down by Domingo Cisma.

Oezil made it 6-0 on a pass from Xabi Alonso and a cricket score seemed on the cards. However, Papa Diop pulled a goal back for the tormented visitors, and Real took pity on them and eased up at the end.

Earlier in the evening, Messi had guided Barcelona to a relaxed 2- 0 win in Zaragoza on Saturday, with two goals from his trusty left foot.

The straightforward win keeps intact Barca's perfect away record of four wins in four matches.

Barca coach Pep Guardiola said, 'We wanted to control the game, and I am very content because that was exactly what we did.'

Zaragoza were crippled by the injury suffered by Laurent Sinama- Pongolle, their only effective forward, in the pre-match warmup. Without the Frenchman, the hosts had nothing to offer in attack and never looked capable of scoring.

Despite the absence of injury victim Xavi, Barca completely dominated and the first goal was just a matter of time. It came three minutes before half-time, when David Villa cleverly set up Messi with a reverse pass and the little Argentine calmly beat keeper Toni Doblas with a low shot.

Hapless Zaragoza were reduced to 10 men two minutes into the second half when Leonardo Ponzio earned himself a red card for a needless attack on Dani Alves.

Messi made it 2-0 in the 67th minute with a powerful drive after the over-worked Doblas had failed to hold a shot from Seydou Keita.

The latest defeat will probably prove to be the final nail in the coffin of coach Jose Gay, who saved Zaragoza from relegation last season. They are bottom with just three points.

The night finished with the scrappy, disjointed Valencia-Mallorca clash.

Gonzalo Castro scored both goals for Mallorca, the first from the penalty spot. Roberto Soldado converted a penalty for Valencia but the hosts lacked the imagination and penetration to force a draw.

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