Real Madrid lifted a record-extending 34th La Liga title with one game to spare by beating Villarreal 2-1 at home on Thursday thanks to two goals from their leading scorer Karim Benzema.
Real have 86 points after 37 games, seven more than deposed champions Barcelona who were beaten 2-1 at home to Osasuna.
Benzema fired through the legs of keeper Sergio Asenjo to put Madrid ahead after 29 minutes and converted a penalty in the 77th to help Real on their way to a remarkable 10th consecutive league win since the season resumed after the COVID-19 stoppage.
Benzema had put the ball in the net moments earlier after an audacious pass from the spot kick by original penalty taker Sergio Ramos but it had to be re-taken due to encroachment.
Ramos and Benzema try to re create Barcelona’s vingare goal but penalty is disallowed! pic.twitter.com/7Z4Pk4punK — Take Ballon D’or 2023 (@TechnicalTake26) July 16, 2020
The penalty routine was successfully used by Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez back in 2016.
The move was famously used by Johan Cruyff and Jesper Olsen in 1982,when they pulled it off for Ajax. The first recorded version of the penalty routine was reportedly managed by Rik Coppens and Andre Piters of Belgium in 1957.
As for Real match, Benzema then stepped up to retake the penalty himself and slammed it into the bottom corner to score his 21st league goal of the campaign.
Villarreal pulled a late goal back through Vicente Iborra and should have snatched an equaliser in added time, while Real's Marco Asensio thought he had added a third goal later on but it was ruled out by VAR for offside.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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