Real Madrid made sure Barcelona will have to wait at least until Sunday to wrap up a 22nd La Liga title when Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 200th goal for the club in a 6-2 win at home to nine-man Malaga on Wednesday.
Barca need two more points to wrest the league crown back from their arch rivals and secure a fourth title in five years and a win at third-placed Atletico Madrid on Sunday would be enough for Tito Vilanova’s side.
Barca have 88 points from 34 matches, with Real in second on 80 from 35. Atletico, eight points further back in third, secured a berth in the Champions League for next season with a 3-1 win at struggling Celta Vigo earlier on Wednesday.
Both matches had been brought forward due to the King’s Cup final between Real and Atletico on Friday, May 17.
Centre back Raul Albiol nodded Real in front from a corner in the third minute at the Bernabeu before Roque Santa Cruz, who scored in Malaga’s 3-2 home win against Real in December, levelled after a quarter of an hour.
The match turned in the 21st minute when Malaga defender Sergio Sanchez was shown a straight red card for bringing Ronaldo down in the area.
Although the Portuguese had his spot kick saved by Willy Caballero, who injured himself in the process and had to be replaced by Carlos Kameni, Ronaldo netted with an indirect free kick close to goal in the 26th minute.
It was his 200th goal for Real since joining from Manchester United for a record fee in 2009.
Mesut Ozil finished off a swift breakaway to make it 3-1 to Real in the 34th minute, Vitorino Antunes pulled a goal back for Malaga two minutes later and Ronaldo set up Karim Benzema to make it 4-2 on the stroke of halftime.
The second half was much less eventful until Luka Modric struck a long-range shot in off a post in the 63rd minute.
Courtesy Daily Mail