Benzema nets 2 as Madrid beats Sociedad 4-1 without Ronaldo
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Karim Benzema scored twice as Real Madrid thrashed Real Sociedad 4-1 at home without the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo to ensure it remained top of the Spanish league on Saturday.
Defending champion Atletico Madrid stayed in contact with its crosstown rivals before the two clash next week, after Mario Mandzukic also grabbed a brace of early goals in its 3-1 victory at Eibar.
At the bottom of the table, Granada ended a 16-round winless streak dating to September by beating 10-man Elche 1-0 to provisionally escape from last place and climb free of the relegation zone.
Sociedad defender Aritz Elustondo headed in his first goal for the Basque club 36 seconds into the match, but James Rodriguez headed the hosts level in the third minute, and Madrid never looked back.
Sergio Ramos scored before halftime, and Benzema made it 3-1 soon after the break before he struck an exquisite second goal in the 76th.
"We have to be more careful and not concede (early) goals because it's not the first time, but we managed to come back," Benzema said.
Madrid opened a four-point gap over Barcelona and Atletico. Barcelona hosts Villarreal on Sunday.
Madrid has a game in hand that it will play against Sevilla on Wednesday before it turns to the derby at Atletico.
Ronaldo watched from the stands at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium as he served the first of a two-game ban for kicking a Cordoba player last weekend.
His team didn't miss him, though, as David Moyes' Sociedad displayed little of the verve it relied on to rally for a stunning 4-2 victory over Madrid in August, before the arrival of the former Manchester United manager.
Only Geronimo Rulli's goalkeeping spared Sociedad a bigger defeat as it remained in 11th place and the only team yet to win away in the league this season.
Sociedad caught Madrid slow to start the game, as left back Yuri Berchiche charged up the pitch to win a corner kick, which Ruben Pardo sent into the area for Elustondo to thump in.
Rodriguez responded by slipping between Sociedad's center backs to head in Marcelo's pass.
Dangerous early on, Sociedad never threatened after forward Carlos Vela hurt his right knee and had to be substituted in the 17th.
Rulli saved shots from Benzema and Rodriguez before turning back Benzema a second time, only for Ramos to blast in the ball and put Madrid in front for good.
With Ronaldo out, Gareth Bale was called on to take over the scoring load. But his eagerness got the best of him in the 40th when he intercepted Benzema's pass meant for Rodriguez and shot wide with Rulli off his line.
Bale made amends after the restart when he worked a passing combination with Benzema before slipping the ball back for the striker to score.
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti defended Bale, who has a growing reputation in Madrid for not sharing the ball.
"I don't want more from him. He played well," Ancelotti said. "It's true he missed two chances to score, but he assisted Benzema for the 3-1. He works for his teammates."
Benzema capped his strong showing with an unstoppable strike which bent around Rulli.
"I knew when I struck it the shot was good," Benzema said. "But I didn't know it was going to be so beautiful."
Atletico bounced back from its midweek elimination from the Copa del Rey to Barcelona with a commanding win under less than ideal playing conditions.
Because the muddy field at Ipurua Stadium slowed the ball and stopped passes short of their recipients, Atletico smartly attacked through the air.
Antoine Griezmann tallied his 11th league goal in the seventh minute, and lobbed for Mandzukic to redirect into the net in the 23rd. Two minutes later, Mandzukic hit in his 10th league goal after Eibar failed to clear. Federico Piovaccari got eighth-place Eibar's goal one minute from time.
"We wanted to attack through Griezmann on the good side of the pitch and avoid the areas where the ball wouldn't circulate," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said.
Granada's Jhon Cordoba scrambled in its second-half winner before Damian Suarez left Elche with 10 men with his second booking in the 70th.
Celta Vigo hosted Cordoba late.