Granada 0 Real Madrid 4: James and Morata at the double as Madrid ease to win + Highlight

James Rodriguez and Alvaro Morata scored two
apiece as Real Madrid stayed on track to be LaLiga
champions with a 4-0 win at relegated Granada.
James' brace came inside the first 11 minutes,
with Zinedine Zidane's men barely breaking sweat
against wholly overmatched opponents.
Morata's double was also the fruit of a quickfire
effort after the half-hour, from which point Madrid
were able to take their foot off the gas with far
more testing assignments ahead.
Atletico are up next in midweek, with the European
champions' 3-0 advantage from the first leg of the
all-Madrid Champions League semi-final likely to
be ample insurance.
Madrid remain behind Barcelona in LaLiga by virtue
of an inferior head-to-head record, but have a
game in hand, meaning matches at home to Sevilla
and away at Celta Vigo – both teams who have
beaten Zidane's men this season – are likely to be
pivotal to the outcome of the title race.
Barcelona were 4-1 winners against Villarreal
earlier on Saturday and their rivals went ahead
within three minutes at Nuevo Los Carmenes,
picking the hosts apart with inevitable ease.
Morata threaded a pass through an inviting gap on
the left-hand side of the Granada backline and
Lucas Vazquez charged into the box.
Lucas fired across goal and James wheeled away
in celebration, although the decisive touch arguably
came off Granada centre-back Sverrir Ingason.
There were no doubts over James' claims to
Madrid's second eight minutes later.
Vazquez overhit a cross but Fabio Coentrao was
allowed to retrieve the ball on the left and send it
back towards the area, where the Colombia
playmaker was given similarly ample room to head
home.
The dire start persuaded Granada boss Tony
Adams to make a tactical switch in the 18th
minute, with defensive midfielder Uche replacing
winger and fellow Watford loanee Aly Malle.
That stemmed the tide to an extend but Morata got
himself on the scoresheet with half an hour played,
crashing in via the underside of the crossbar after
full-back Danilo streamed clear down the right
flank.
It was two in five minutes for the Spain striker –
Marco Asensio sauntering towards the Granada
area to find his team-mate in the box, where
Morata twisted Martin Hongla to distraction before
blasting past Guillermo Ochoa.
Lucas cut in from the right to fire against the top of
the crossbar in the 42nd minute and forced a one-
on-one stop from Ochoa, with Casemiro lifting the
rebound over.
Despite that relative damage limitation, Granada
departed to predictable boos at the interval.
Adams sent out his players with relatively renewed
purpose after the break, Lucas firing into the side
netting as his quest for a goal continued.
Karim Benzema was introduced in place of Asensio
before the hour and he almost scored on the end of
Vazquez's return pass in the 61st minute, with
Danilo drilling the rebound against the base of the
post.
Madrid captain Sergio Ramos was denied by
Guillermo from a James corner and prodded wide
at the near post in the 66th minute after Lucas
again shot goalwards in vain.
Martin Hongla blazed over 10 minutes from time
and on-loan Borussia Dortmund forward Adrian
Ramos forced Kiko Casilla into a rare save at his
near post as Granada sought consolation on a night
in keeping with a shambolic season on and off the

field.