Garcia Hat-Trick Sparks Madrid Rout as Levante Stun Sevilla

Real Madrid delivered a statement performance in LaLiga Round 18, hammering Real Betis 5-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu to pile pressure on leaders Barcelona and underline their title credentials under Xabi Alonso.

With Kylian Mbappe sidelined through injury, the spotlight fell on young forward Gonzalo Garcia, and he responded in emphatic fashion. Madrid controlled the opening exchanges and eventually made their dominance count in the 20th minute when Garcia rose highest to head home Rodrygo’s perfectly weighted free-kick for his first league goal of the season.

Betis showed brief signs of life before the break but struggled to trouble Thibaut Courtois, heading into half-time a goal down and second best across most metrics. Any hopes of a comeback were swiftly extinguished after the restart as Garcia doubled Madrid’s lead with a thunderous strike from the edge of the box, rifling past Alvaro Valles with ruthless precision.

Madrid smelled blood and struck again moments later. Another dangerous set-piece delivery from Rodrygo caused havoc in the Betis area, allowing Raul Asencio to power in a towering header to make it 3-0 and effectively kill the contest before the hour mark.

To their credit, Betis refused to fold. Juan Hernandez capitalised on a rare lapse in Madrid’s backline, rounding Courtois before smashing home to give the visitors a lifeline. That goal sparked a brief spell of pressure, with substitute Rodrigo Riquelme twice coming agonisingly close, rattling the woodwork and drawing sharp saves as the Bernabeu momentarily held its breath.

Ultimately, Madrid’s quality told. Gonzalo Garcia completed a superb hat-trick with a moment of invention, cleverly flicking home from Arda Guler’s through ball to restore a three-goal cushion and crown a sensational individual display. Fran Garcia added gloss in stoppage time, arriving unmarked at the far post to smash in Madrid’s fifth and cap a dominant afternoon.

The win sees Real Madrid cut the gap on Barcelona to four points ahead of a high-profile Super Cup clash with Atletico Madrid, while Betis remain sixth despite another reminder of Madrid’s firepower.

Elsewhere in LaLiga, Sevilla endured a miserable afternoon at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan as Levante ran out convincing 3-0 winners to deepen the hosts’ woes.

Levante struck just before half-time through Iker Losada, who finished calmly after a swift move to stun the home crowd. Sevilla pushed hard after the break but were repeatedly denied by an inspired Mathew Ryan, whose heroics included a penalty save from Isaac Romero.

The visitors made Sevilla pay for their wastefulness in the closing stages. Carlos Espi doubled Levante’s advantage with a well-taken finish on the counter before Carlos Alvarez added a third deep into stoppage time to seal a comprehensive victory.

The result leaves Sevilla searching for answers after another damaging home defeat, while Levante strengthen their position with a disciplined and clinical display away from home.