Real Madrid storms past 9-man Rayo Vallecano in 10-2 rout
To say Real Madrid won the match is an understatement: its 10-2 win over Rayo Vallecano was an absolute demolition job.
A pair of red cards in the first half reduced Rayo Vallecano's ranks down to nine players and, despite being up 2-1, those absences were felt as Real Madrid stormed back to take all three points.
10 - @realmadriden have scored 10 goals in a La Liga game for the third time, the first one since 1960 (11-2 vs Elche). Correction.
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) December 20, 2015
The match marks the first time in La Liga history that Real Madrid faced a side with only nine players for over an hour of play. It also marks Gareth Bale's best goal tally with four on the day.
Related - VIDEOS: Bale feasts on Rayo, scores 4 goals in single match for first time in career
Right full-back Danilo opened the scoring for Madrid as Rafa Benitez's side galloped on the counter-attack with pace and purpose. But two quick goals in response from Antonio Amaya and Jozabed gave Rayo Vallecano a rare lead.
Unfortunately for Rayo, defender Tito picked up a straight red card in the 14th minute, and Gareth Bale exposed that gap by scoring a diving header to equalize soon after.
A second yellow card to Raul Baena further compounded Rayo's woes, and Cristiano Ronaldo buried the penalty to give Real Madrid the lead. Now overrun in midfield, Bale added a fourth goal at the stroke of half-time.
Karim Benzema and Ronaldo added to the tally early in the second half.
Bale completed his hat-trick on the hour mark, and 10 minutes later, the Welsh forward scored his fourth to make it 8-2.
Benzema scored in the 79th minute to bring Real Madrid within a goal of a double-digit count, then completed his own hat-trick on the 90-minute mark as Real Madrid ended its rout of Rayo Vallecano.