Springtime in Madrid

This game unfolded without much changing in the history of mankind – Sergio Ramos’s haircut was the only possible exception to register. At home Madrid have become such a powerhouse that they seem unaffected by football’s surprises, that mix of random absurdity that hits other teams in a positive mindset, or those points that are gained before kick-off. No-one is punishing Madrid for their sins, probably because they are committing very few. Their superiority was so great here that their players could almost be seen humming as they ran along, like they were hanging up a picture rather than going into battle.
The encounter began exactly as predicted: after five minutes Keylor Navas denied Cristiano, after ten there was absolutely nothing he could do. Di María took the corner and Cristiano vaulted above the rest to head home from the penalty spot. It was a stinging brylcreem header that would have got the better of any keeper, yet Keylor had it within his sights and actually got a hand to it, despite reacting late.
Up to, and after, this moment Madrid dominated the game for fun and, unlike other afternoons, enjoyed more possession than chances. Or perhaps it was because Keylor Navas limited them, with his finest stop also proving to be the most painful as Benzema hit the back, or front, his crotch instead of the back of the net.
At that stage of the game (and up to the 70th minute), it’s hard to recall a Levante shot on goal. Ivanschitz attempted a spectacular, if wayward, volley and the rest were little more than speculatuive efforts lacking conviction. With the Madrid muscles flexing all the more, Levante’s aim was not to grab a point, it was escape alive.
Keylor postponed the second goal after getting his fingertips on a Benzema header, and not without a stroke of luck as the ball hit the post and bounced to safety. Against Marcelo, after the break, there was no antidote to the Madrid poison. Marcelo popped up inside the area like a true number nine, stepped over the ball once with his left and curled the ball home with his right – not bad going for a left-back.
After that Keylor Navas focused all of his attention on Benzema, pulling out all the stops to deny the Frenchman (possibly for his earlier infliction): point-blank, long-range and other diving spectacles. Keylor seemed so inspired that the third goal had to come from his team-mate, Nikos Karabelas, whose expert finish only had one problem: it was in his own goal.
Sergio Ramos brought on the yellow card that would see him nicely into the Clásico and David Navarro was sent off for a challenge from behind on Cristiano, a dismissal as much down to his track record as anything else. There was little more to report apart from the injury to Carvajal and other saves from Keylor. Madrid sit at the top of the table and can only see spring on the horizon.