Madrid (AFP)

In the form of his career: Karim Benzema, perfect and author of his second double in four days, took Real Madrid to Eibar for a 4-0 victory that propels them ahead of the Liga on Saturday at the 13th day.

Four days after their wide 6-0 win against Galatasaray in the Champions League, the men of Madrid were close to perfection at Eibar, thanks to a penalty goal from captain Sergio Ramos (20th), a double of the irresistible Benzema (17th, 29th sp), and a last goal of Federico Valverde (62nd).

"Footballistically, it's the best," Zinédine Zidane said of his star striker the day before in a press conference. On Saturday, Karim Benzema, at the height of his career at age 31, again proved him right.

With this double, which allows Real to temporarily climb to the first place in La Liga (before the Barcelona match against Celta Vigo, later in the evening), the French forward center drowned Eibar, already flooded by the torrents of water pouring down the lawn of his Ipurua stadium on Saturday night.

A second double in four days, after that of Wednesday against Galatasaray (6-0) that allows Benzema to exceed a legend of the "White House", the Hungarian Ferenc Puskas, the number of goals scored in the league (157 against 156) .

- Courtois, unbeatable -

Real was in exhibition with helpless Basques. Perfect in attack and rarely worried in their surface, the men of Zinedine Zidane managed to keep their goal inviolate for the fourth time in a row.

With 532 minutes without a goal (the last conceded on 19 October, in the 7th minute of the match lost 1-0 in Mallorca), Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois already tutoie the biggest goalkeepers of the club.

What to forget the whistles he had received against Bruges (2-2) in the Champions League, October 1, where he had been replaced by Alphonse Areola after the break.

The Madrilenians ensured a quiet encounter by bending the match in half an hour, leading 3-0 thanks to the penalties caused by Eden Hazard and Lucas Vazquez, hanging in the surface, and a Benzema achievement, at the conclusion of a counter shot by Luka Modric (17th).

The first goal at the Real of the young 'Fede' Valverde (21 years old), well found by this same Modric at the entrance of the surface, concluded the Madrid recital.

With 15 goals in four games for 10 days (5-0 against Leganés, 0-0 against Real Betis, 6-0 against Galatasaray, and 4-0 at Eibar), Real lives a daydream, before the "shock" to come (November 23, after the international truce) against his surprising provisional runner-up, Real Sociedad, who conceded the draw 1-1 Friday against the red lantern, Leganés.

© 2019 AFP