Vinicius Jr scored his first Real Madrid hattrick, while Karim Benzema moved level with Raul Gonzalez on a record-breaking night for the newly-crowned Spanish champions. Levante, on the other hand, had little to celebrate for as they were relegated to the Segunda Division after five seasons among the elite.
Having already won the LaLiga title and booked a place in the UEFA Champions League final, Los Blancos continued their thrilling run-in by smashing a lacklustre Levante for six goals at the Bernabeu. It was a night of celebration for Carlo Ancelotti’s men as Vinicius Jr marked his first hattrick for the club while Karim Benzema matched up to the legendary Raul Gonzalez with his 323rd goal in white.
Left-back Ferland Mendy gave Real Madrid a jump start in the 13th minute. Continuing his rampaging run into the space vacated by the Levante defence, the Frenchman latched onto a Luka Modric pass before giving his side the lead with an exquisite finish. Five minutes later, it was 2-0; Vinicius lifted the ball towards the back post, where it was headed in by Benzema for his historic goal.
Real Madrid’s record goalscorers
# | Name | Goals |
1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 450 |
2 | Raul Gonzalez, Karim Benzema | 323 |
3 | Alfredo Di Stefano | 308 |
Rodrygo added a third in the 34th minute, tapping in Modric’s cross from close range. And the Croat playmaker was at it again just minutes later, perfectly weighing a pass into the feet of Vinicius as he made a run inside from the left, which the forward curled into the far corner.
Vinicius grabbed his second in the 68th minute by rolling the ball into an empty net after Benzema had rounded goalkeeper Dani Cardenas and squared the ball to the Brazilian. And the attacker completed his hattrick seven minutes from time, running in behind the opposition defence before squeezing the ball past the goalkeeper from a tight angle.
A comprehensive win for Real Madrid did little to change things at the top – Los Blancos already claimed their 35th title ten days earlier by beating Espanyol. However, it did affect the situation at the bottom, with Levante returning to the lower division, taking up one of the relegation spots with them; Alaves, Mallorca, Cadiz, Granada, and Getafe the sides still in danger with two more spots open.