No Clasico, Ballon d'Or letdowns as Real Madrid cruise

Ballon d'Or victor Karim Benzema scored a extremity but had 2 others overruled by VAR arsenic Real Madrid bushed bottommost broadside Elche 3-0 successful LaLiga enactment connected Wednesday.

Federico Valverde and Marco Asensio besides netted goals successful Madrid's comfy win, who besides bushed Clasico rivals Barcelona earlier this week.

In-form Valverde gave Real the pb successful the 11th infinitesimal with a superb method onslaught from the borderline of the area. Benzema extended Real's pb successful the 75th infinitesimal aft neat interplay with Rodrygo, who assisted Benzema with a clever back-heel pass.

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The defending league champions dominated the crippled passim and had respective chances different than the 3 efforts ruled out, 1 by David Alaba and 2 from Benzema.

Substitute Asensio added the 3rd 1 infinitesimal from time, firing location a close-range decorativeness from Rodrygo's cross.

JUMP TO: Player ratings | Best/worst performers | Highlights and notable moments | Post-match quotes | Key stats | Upcoming fixtures

Rapid reaction

1. No post-Clasico, Ballon d'Or dips for Madrid and Benzema

Three days aft Madrid's biggest crippled of the play truthful acold and 2 days aft the signature infinitesimal of Karim Benzema's vocation to date, some the squad and its prima subordinate came retired against Elche with an strength and intent worthy of the biggest occasions.

There was not a hint of the relaxation that mightiness beryllium expected aft a 3-1 Clasico win implicit Barcelona, oregon the idiosyncratic triumph of Benzema's long-awaited Ballon d'Or coronation. Instead, Elche were subjected to an onslaught that near the bottom-of-the-table broadside reeling. First Benzema's gorgeous squad extremity was disallowed successful the 6th minute, past Federico Valverde scored his screamer 5 minutes later, and 15 minutes aft that David Alaba finished disconnected an adjacent amended move, lone for Benzema to beryllium flagged offside.

At hal-time, it was singular that Elche were inactive successful the crippled contempt being a extremity down. Benzema was erstwhile again caught offside with an hr played, and erstwhile helium yet scored successful the 75th infinitesimal -- acceptable up by Rodrygo's backheel -- determination was adjacent clip for a gag with referee Jesus Gil Manzano astir different imaginable offside call. This was a relentless show from Madrid and Benzema. Both volition instrumentality immoderate stopping this season.

2. Valverde's goals conscionable support coming

Whatever benignant of subordinate you thought Valverde mightiness go -- a deep-lying, holding midfielder similar Casemiro perhaps, oregon a hyperactive box-to-box subordinate successful the mold of Steven Gerrard -- you astir apt didn't deliberation he'd crook into a extremity machine. Valverde has present scored six goals this play -- lone Vinicius Junior has much for Madrid -- which is arsenic galore arsenic he'd scored successful the erstwhile 4 years.

He scored successful 3 games successful a enactment successful September, and present he's followed a extremity successful Sunday's Clasico with the opener here. Carlo Ancelotti said earlier this play that if Valverde didn't get into treble figures, helium should teardrop up his coaching licence. He's already implicit halfway there. It's notable however galore of Valverde's goals travel from extracurricular the box, and helium tin people with either foot, too, arsenic this left-footed effort connected the bounce showed. He could person had different precocious on, bursting into the box, lone to beryllium denied by an exceptional prevention by Edgar Badia.

Toni Kroos thinks he's 1 of the three champion players successful the world close now. That mightiness beryllium a flimsy exaggeration. But not by much. Valverde didn't marque the Ballon d'Or shortlist this year, but don't beryllium amazed to spot him determination earlier excessively long.

3. Lunin deserves recognition earlier Courtois return

This was apt the extremity to goalkeeper Andriy Lunin's tally successful the archetypal team, with Thibaut Courtois expected to instrumentality from wounded successful clip to look Sevilla this weekend. If so, past Lunin deserves praise for performing admirably successful the fig one's absence. He's been truthful solid, successful information -- though nary uncertainty the team's antiaircraft solidity arsenic a full has helped enormously -- that Courtois' lack has hardly been felt.

One prevention present successful particular, a second-half point-blank halt from Carlos Clerc's header, came with the crippled inactive successful the balance. The 23-year-old has kept cleanable sheets against Getafe and Elche, and the squad travel retired of his clip betwixt the posts connected apical of LaLiga and qualified for the Champions League round-of-16. Whenever Lunin's adjacent accidental comes, he's shown he's acceptable to instrumentality it.

Player ratings

Elche: Edgar Badia 6; Helibelton Palacios 5, Gonzalo Verdu 6, Pedro Bigas 6, Carlos Clerc 6; Omar Mascarell 6; Tete Morente 5, Raul Guti 6, Pere Milla 5, Nicolas Mercau 6; Lucas Boye 6.
Subs: Josan 5, Gerard Gumbau 5, Ezequiel Ponce 5, Domingos Quina 6.

Real Madrid: Andriy Lunin 8; Dani Carvajal 7, Eder Militao 7, Antonio Rudiger 7, David Alaba 7; Toni Kroos 7, Federico Valverde 8, Luka Modric 7; Rodrygo Goes 8, Vinicius Junior 7, Karim Benzema 9.
Subs: Aurelien Tchouameni 7, Eduardo Camavinga 6, Marco Asensio 7, Lucas Vazquez 6, Nacho 6.

Best and worst performers

BEST: Karim Benzema, Real Madrid.
Back to his champion and could person had a chapeau instrumentality were it not for those choky -- but close -- offside calls.

WORST: Helibelton Palacios, Elche.
None of the Elche defenders had an enjoyable evening up against a fluid Madrid attack, but Palacios was astir apt the worst of them.

Highlights and notable moments

How bash you observe aft seeing 2 goals overruled by VAR? By signaling for it yourself! Well done by Benzema.

Benzema scored and did the VAR solemnisation aft 3 of Real Madrid's goals were ruled retired contiguous 😂 pic.twitter.com/lDjwTJR1NN

And past a Zen-like (or Haaland-esque) solemnisation for Valverde aft his stunning goal.

🧘‍♂️ La tranquilidad que te da seguir siendo el líder de @LaLiga... pic.twitter.com/AKOo8lhP14

All successful all, a coagulated show by the champs.

After the match: What the managers, players said

Valverde connected his scoring prowess: "[Ancelotti] said I had to people 10 goals [this season]. I'm focused connected doing it, it's a bully benignant of pressure. I don't privation him to person to discontinue arsenic a manager! It's helped maine to consciousness assured successful beforehand of goal."

Ancelotti connected playing truthful soon aft Clasico: "I was disquieted astir this game, it was important, due to the fact that aft the Clasico you could deliberation the level could drop, I wanted to rotate but didn't privation to springiness them excuses, the squad played well, focused, successful onslaught it was precise good, we had a batch of mobility. But until the 70th infinitesimal the crippled was open, they could person equalised."

Key stats (provided by ESPN Stats & Information)

- Karim Benzema (224) is present 3 goals shy of tying Alfredo Di Stéfano (227) for sixth-place connected the all-time LaLiga apical scorers list. The apical five? Lionel Messi (474), Cristiano Ronaldo (311), Telmo Zarra (251), Hugo Sanchez (234) and Raul (228).

- Carlo Ancelotti managed his 124th LaLiga crippled today, breaking a necktie with Claudio Ranieri for the astir by an Italian manager.

- Now winless successful 10 games to commencement the season, Elche are facing a superior conflict to debar relegation. The lone squad to flooded a specified a streak and stay successful the top-flight was Real Valladolid successful the 1982-83 play (13 winless games).

Up next

Real Madrid: Back astatine the Bernabeu for different LaLiga fixture connected Saturday arsenic Sevilla travel to town. Then backmost to Champions League enactment with a travel to RB Lepzig adjacent Tuesday.

Elche: The quest for their archetypal LaLiga triumph continues, this clip against Espanyol connected Sunday.