Toni Kroos inspired Real Madrid to a 2-1 win at home to Cadiz; champions go into the World Cup break second in La Liga, two points behind Barcelona; Juventus beat Hellas Verona 1-0 to claim their fifth victory in a row; Lazio beat Monza thanks to 17-year-old Luka Romero
Thursday 10 November 2022 23:44, UK
Toni Kroos claimed a goal and an assist as Real Madrid beat second-bottom Cadiz 2-1 in their last La Liga match before the World Cup break.
The champions returned to winning ways after losing 3-2 to Rayo Vallecano on Monday and go into the mid-season pause second in the standings, two points behind leaders Barcelona.
Real opened the scoring in the 40th minute against Cadiz when Kroos delivered a perfect deep cross from a short corner that found Eder Militao, who headed into the empty net.
Kroos then doubled Real's lead with a powerful strike in the 70th minute but Cadiz provided their hosts with a nervy ending when former Arsenal forward Lucas Perez scored eight minutes from time after Thibaut Courtois failed to hold Theo Bongonda's effort.
But Real held on to move nine points clear of third-placed Real Sociedad, meaning the second half of the season is likely to come down to a race between Madrid and their bitter rivals Barcelona for the title.
Juventus won their fifth Serie A match in succession thanks to Moise Kean, whose second-half goal was enough to secure a 1-0 victory at Hellas Verona.
Juventus began the season poorly with just two wins from their first nine matches in all competitions, but their recent revival has seen them rise to fourth in the table.
In truth, Massimiliano Allegri's side were not particularly impressive and came close to conceding through Ibrahim Sulemana shortly after kick-off.
But Kean scored the only goal of the game on the hour mark when his shot trickled under Verona goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipo.
Juventus had a scare five minutes from time when Verona were awarded a penalty for a high boot from Leonardo Bonucci, but the decision was changed after a VAR check.
Alex Sandro was then sent off for the visitors for a tackle on Kevin Lasagna just outside the penalty area, but Juventus were able to see out the win and claim another three points.
While Juventus are enjoying a resurgence, Verona's loss means they have now suffered nine Serie A losses in a row for the first time and lie bottom of the table.
Meanwhile, Lazio climbed to second place with a hard-fought 1-0 home win over Monza thanks 17-year-old Luka Romero's first goal for the club.
Monza thought they had taken the lead after 13 minutes but Andrea Petagna's effort was ruled out due to offside after a VAR check.
Lazio then sealed victory in the 69th minute when Monza goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio could not hold Pedro's shot, with Romero reacting quickly to prod home the loose ball.
