Real Madrid signed off their season with an impressive 7-3 win over Getafe featuring yet another Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick.
The Portugal forward struck three times before half-time – but his team still did not have the lead after explosive finishes from Getafe trio Sergio Escudero, Diego Castro and Mehdi Lacen.
Second-half goals from Javier Hernandez, James Rodriguez, Jese Rodriguez and Marcelo earned victory but Real’s season will still be seen as a disappointment after Barcelona beat them to the title and they also came up short in the Champions League.
Hernandez and Ronaldo went close early on before the latter opened the scoring in the 13th minute, rising high to powerfully head in Marcelo’s deep cross.
If that seemed a predictable start, though, the rest of the half was anything but and the lead lasted only nine minutes.
The equaliser came as a bolt from the blue as Escudero let fly from 25 yards with his left foot, the ball skipping into the bottom corner past the helpless Iker Casillas.
Castro was just as emphatic from similar range after great build-up play by Pedro Leon four minutes later and Getafe had a shock lead – but it too was quickly pegged back.
Ronaldo’s free-kicks have not been up to their old standard this season, but he produced a moment of magic just after the half-hour with a curling sidefoot from 30 yards into the bottom corner of Jordi Codina’s net.
And when Carlos Vigaray pushed Hernandez in the area two minutes later, Ronaldo tucked away the penalty for his eighth hat-trick of the season and his 313th goal in 300 games for Real.
Home defender Pepe limped off before half-time and was replaced by France international Raphael Varane.
Lacen made it 3-3 three minutes before the interval with a brutal finish after the ball fell to him following a corner that was not dealt with.
And when Marcelo’s panicked clearance led to another corner, which was cleared only as far as the edge of the box, Pedro Leon fired wide with Casillas again powerless to react.
The same player flashed a free-kick just over with the final action of a barnstorming first half.
Ronaldo should have had his fourth two minutes after half-time, but contrived to head against the post with Codina out of the picture. It mattered not, though, as Hernandez followed up to drive the ball home.
James emulated Ronaldo’s free-kick goal to make it 5-3 just seven minutes after half-time and Real took the opportunity to introduce Norwegian prospect Martin Odegaard, a January signing from Stromsgodset and, at the age of 16 years and 157 days, the youngest player ever to wear Real’s colours.
Getafe defender Alexis backheeled wide from Pablo Sarabia’s cross, but it was Real who struck next when Jese slotted home from an angle.
Hernandez was offside when he blasted home Odegaard’s neat reverse ball and, following some determined but untidy build-up work from the youngster, Jese’s deft chip was tipped over.
Casillas’ future remains up in the air and, if this is to be his final La Liga game, conceding three goals is not how he would want to go out, but he gave the Bernabeu one final stunning save to remember him by as he flew to his left to tip over Sarabia’s effort.
And Real broke straight downfield to score a seventh, Jese adjudged to have beaten the offside trap before crossing for a sliding Marcelo to convert. – Skysports.
