Cristiano Ronaldo raises his arms in triumph after
scoring the opener for Real Madrid against Levante.
Real Madrid duly took advantage of Barcelona's latest slip-up to return to the
top of La Liga after a routine 3-0 win over Levante in the Bernabeu Sunday.
The mid-table visitors ended the
match with 10 men after David Navarro was sent off in the second half for a foul
on Cristiano Ronaldo, but they were well beaten even before he saw red.
Ronaldo had put Real ahead after
11 minutes before defender Marcelo put the home side two up just after
halftime.
An own goal from Nikos Karabelas
completed Levante's miserable evening.
The victory put Carlo Ancelotti's
men three points clear of city rivals Atletico.
Defending champions Barca lost
1-0 to struggling Valladolid Saturday and trail by four in third place, making
this month's El Clasico clash with Real all the more important.
Real have not lost since a 2-1
league reverse to Barcelona in October as their goalscoring trio of Ronaldo,
Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale have found the net on a regular basis.
Ronaldo showed his heading
qualities by rising to meet Angel di Maria's corner to put Real ahead before
Benzema hit the post.
Marcelo's superlative curling
effort on 49 minutes all but settled the affair before Navarro, who was once
banned for seven months after a notorious Champions League brawl when playing
for Valencia, got his marching orders for the seventh time in his career.
Marcelo also had a hand in the
final goal as Karabelas turned the defender's cross into his own goal and there
was just time for Ronaldo to thump the woodwork as he sought a second.
Ancelotti was delighted as his
team continued to mount a strong challenge on all fronts. "We had the same
intensity and concentration in the last few games," he told Real's official
website.
"We played well from the first
minute til the last; very efficient and with security at the back. The match was
very good," he added.
In Italy,
Juventus have one hand on the Serie A title again after a 1-0
win over Fiorentina -- their 14th straight home league win.
Ghana's Kwadwo Asamoah struck a
stunning winner just before the break, finding space before sending a rocket
shot into the top corner.
It was reward for Juve's
dominance against opponents they will meet again in the Europa League last
16.
Fiorentina might have leveled
after the interval as substitute Ryder Matos headed against the crossbar from
close range, but Juventus were deserved winners.
It left them 14 points clear of
Roma, who lost 1-0 to third-placed Napoli in the late kickoff,
with former Real Madrid forward Jose Callejon heading in a late winner.
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