Tenerife 1-5 Real Madrid

Alberto Navarro / Translation by realmadrid.com

Real Madrid earned a crucial victory at Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez Stadium on Saturday eight years after their last visit. The Whites displayed magical football against a Tenerife side that gave them a lot of room to play open, vertical football. Gonzalo Higuain scored a brace and Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Raul followed suit with one goal apiece. With the win, Real Madrid set a new club record for the most points earned over the first 24 weeks of play.

Higuain is the poster child of efficiency. The Argentine forward needed just two shots to add another two goals to his season tally; the first with his left foot and the second with his right. Two moves that did away with the suffocating pressure applied by Tenerife, who knew that their only chance of pulling off the upset was by leaving it all on the pitch.

The first of the night was a by-product of a steal by Marcelo along the left flank, followed by a Zidane-patented pirouette by the Brazilian and a brilliant pass to Higuain, who slipped the ball past the keeper. Tenerife almost pulled level with a shot by Nino, but Casillas was too quick to the ball. Higuain wasn’t done yet, and Garay’s cross found Pipita, who sent a shot across the grain and into the back of the net for his 14th goal in league play.

Tenerife struck back early in the second half when Ayoze headered home a ball that Casillas appeared to have a solid grasp on, but Real Madrid didn’t take long in answering. Kaka capitalized on an Higuain assist with shot that strayed away from Aragoneses’ legs. Higuain nearly had a hat-trick, but his lob caromed off the crossbar. Cristiano Ronaldo added his name to the score card with a penalty kick resulting from a handball by Luna, and Raul put the icing on the cake with a flick following a cross by Van der Vaart… A sheer display of might by the highest scoring team in Spanish football and a team that has set a new club record for points over the first 24 weeks of La Liga.