Real Madrid vs Deportivo La Coruna. Spanish La Liga.
Santiago BernabeuAttendance67,174.
Sunday 11 December 2016 07:36, UK
Sergio Ramos headed in a dramatic late winner as Real Madrid came from behind to beat Deportivo La Coruna 3-2 and extend their lead at the top of La Liga to six points on Saturday.
Real went ahead after 50 minutes in the second half when Alvaro Morata fired in a wonder goal from 25-yards to break the deadlock.
However, the lead would last only 12 minutes when poor decision making at the back by Casemiro allowed Joselu to rifle an equaliser past Kaylor Navas and just two minutes later the same man grabbed his second to give the visitors a shock lead.
It looked very much like Zinedine Zidane's men would lose their first game of the season, until substitute striker Mariano glanced the ball in off his shoulder for a late leveller, before Ramos' late winner.
The result means Los Blancos have now gone 35 matches without defeat, beating the record of 34 they had set back during the 1988-89 season.
With the news that Barcelona had beaten Osasuna 3-0 earlier in the day to cut the advantage at the top down to three, Real knew only a win would suffice to keep daylight between themselves and the chasing pack.
Eyebrows were raised ahead of the game, with the news that star man Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benezma - who scored twice against Borussia Dortmund in midweek - were not in the squad. Luca Modric was also a notable absentee.
In his place came Isco and the Spaniard began with purpose looking to make something happen and after Nacho and Morata came close for Real, Deportivo had the best chance, but Celso Borges' clever toe poke was pushed behind by Navas.
Borges was on a one-man mission for Deportivo and went even closer, but this time it was the base of the Real post which denied him the opening goal.
The last time these two had met at the Bernabeu back in January, Zidane marked his first game in charge with a comprehensive 5-0 win, courtesy of a Gareth Bale hat-trick.
But without the Welshman - who is currently sidelined with an ankle injury - the current Champions League holders looked bereft of ideas and headed down the tunnel knowing they needed an improved second half.
And improve they did. Receiving a pass from Isco, Morata - who had been anonymous for much of the game - took a touch and unleashed a fierce 25-yard drive past Przemysław Tyton.
That strike should have been the catalyst for Real to press on, but instead they sat back and were made to pay. Woeful defending from Casemiro was swiftly punished by the alert Florin Andone, who nicked the ball and played it into the feet of Joselu and he smashed his strike confidently past Navas.
The travelling support barely had time to digest the equaliser before they were treated to a second. It was the same combination, a low Andone cross was not dealt with by Ramos and Joselu was on hand once again to finish off his second of the night.
Desperate for a response, Zidane introduced young Dominican striker Mariano for Isco and the substitution would pay off, when he rose highest to glance in Lucas Vazquez's cross, with replays showing it went in via his shoulder to give Real hope with seven minutes still to play.
It was his first goal in the league, with his previous four efforts coming in the Copa del Rey cup competition.
Tensions reached boiling point, as the match neared its conclusion, when Morata went down theatrically from a shove, both sets of players began feuding. Suprisingly, it was Pepe who took on the role of peacemaker.
Real grabbed all three points in dramatic fashion when Toni Kroos whipped in a perfect delivery and just like he did against Barcelona at the Nou Camp the week before, Ramos powered in a injury-time header to send the Bernabeu delirious with joy, as they extended their lead and maintained their amazing unbeaten run.
