Madrid routs 9-man Rayo Vallecano 10-2 in Spanish league

MADRID (AP) - Gareth Bale scored four goals, Karim Benzema added three and Cristiano Ronaldo two as Real Madrid routed nine-man Rayo Vallecano 10-2 to temporarily get within two points of Spanish league leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

Madrid was losing with both teams at full strength at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, but it took advantage of two early red cards to Rayo Vallecano to get back into the game and ease the pressure on coach Rafa Benitez.

Danilo opened the scoring in the third minute before Antonio Amaya equalized in the 10th and Jozabed Sanchez put Rayo ahead in the 12th. But Rayo lost Roberto "Tito" Roman to a straight red in the 14th after a foul on Toni Kroos and Madrid leveled through Bale in the 25th.

Raul Baena was then sent off for a second bookable offence in the 28th after bringing down Sergio Ramos in the penalty area. Ronaldo netted the resulting spot kick to give Madrid a 3-2 lead. The hosts then made the two-man advantage count with a flurry of goals.

Bale netted his second in the 41st and completed his hat-trick in the 61st after Benzema and Ronaldo had struck in the 48th and 53rd, respectively.

Bale added a fourth in the 70th before Benzema netted two more in the 79th and 90th minute for the game's second hat trick.

Benzema had scored five times in Madrid's previous two games at home, including three in the 8-0 win over Malmo in a Champions League game two weeks ago.

Madrid's victory made things easier for Benitez, who has been heavily criticized by fans and local media despite having the support of president Florentino Perez. Fans loudly jeered the coach at the Santiago Bernabeu before the match, and another setback on Sunday could have meant the end of the line for the manager.

Call for Benitez's departure increased after the team's 1-0 loss at Villarreal last weekend, which kept Madrid from cutting into Barcelona's lead. Former star playmaker Zinedine Zidane has been widely touted by local media as Benitez's replacement, and rumors of his imminent departure only increased after Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola became available on the market.

Last week, Perez dismissed the possibility of signing Mourinho again right now and expressed his full support to Benitez, saying he is the right man to put Madrid back on track.

Real Madrid has been in crisis since a 4-0 home loss to Barcelona a month ago, which was followed by an embarrassing elimination in the Copa del Rey for using an ineligible player in a match against third-tier club Cadiz.

The win gives third-place Real Madrid 33 points, two less than Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. Barcelona had its game at Sporting Gijon postponed because of the Club World Cup in Japan, a tournament it won earlier Sunday. Atletico Madrid will play at Malaga in one of the late matches.

Rayo Vallecano was coming off three straight league losses in the league and is only 18th in the standings with 14 points.

___

Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni