Real Madrid reduced the gap on leaders Barcelona to 10 points with a 3-1 win over Real Betis on Saturday.

The home side had the lead on the stroke of the interval when Mesut Ozil finished from close range, but Betis were unlucky to enter the break behind.

Betis started brightly in the second period, but it was two for Madrid after 57 minutes when Karim Benzema coolly found the bottom corner.

The away side had one back late on from a Jorge Molina penalty, but Ozil made sure of the points in the second-half stoppage time.

Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two La Liga rivals.

Match statistics:

Real Madrid:
Shots: 14
On target: 8
Possession: 51%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 9

Real Betis:
Shots: 19
On target: 7
Possession: 49%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 14

Goal Scorers

Real Madrid

45′ Ozil (Benzema Assist)
57′ Benzema (Ronaldo Assist)
90′ Ozil (Ronaldo Assist)

Real Betis

73′ Molina (Penalty)

There is not any possible situation where anything other than a Madrid win would have reflected the match this evening. That is not to say that Betis did not have chances of their own, but they never really had an extended period of pressure until the very latter stages, when they had too much to do. A narrow home victory was indeed a fair result.

Performance

It was hardly a vintage performance from Madrid as Jose Mourinho made changes with the Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund on the horizon, but it was a professional display from those selected. In truth, the three points were never in doubt at any point during the 90 minutes despite their defence coming under pressure late on.

Betis are certainly a good team to watch, but their defensive deficiencies continue to cost them. The fact that they are sniffing around the top four is credit to their attacking players, but they have conceded more goals than bottom side Celta Vigo this season.

Man of the match

Mesut Ozil: It wasn’t really a match full of star performers, but the German radiated class with every touch, while he added two goals. It was a surprise that he started with Dortmund to come next week, but he has gained some much-needed match fitness.

Next Match

Real Madrid: Madrid travel to Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday in the first leg of their semi-final clash in the Champions League.