Real tie Barcelona's 39 unbeaten games mark

MADRID (AP):

Real Madrid tied Barcelona's Spanish record of 39 games unbeaten in all competitions by crushing Granada 5-0 in La Liga yesterday.

Francisco 'Isco' Alarcon scored twice and Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Casemiro got one goal each at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

Madrid are six points ahead of second-place Barcelona, who play fifth-place Villarreal today.

Ronaldo, who was rested in Madrid's 3-0 first-leg win against Seville in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, scored with a close-range header off a cross by Marcelo.

Before the match, he was honoured in a ceremony to mark the Ballon d'Or award he earned last month for world player of the year.

The Spanish unbeaten record set by Luis Enrique's Barcelona last season ended with a loss to Madrid at Camp Nou in April.

Madrid, who have won eight of their last nine league games, will have a chance to take the record outright in the second leg at Sevilla on Thursday.

Isco opened the scoring with a low shot from inside the area after a mistake by the Granada defence while trying to move the ball forward, and Benzema - in an offside position - added to the lead off the rebound of a shot by Luka Modric.

Ronaldo increased the lead after Marcelo cleared a defender in the left side before making a perfect cross into the area, and Isco netted again from close range after a low cross by Modric from the right flank for 4-0.

In one other match played yesterday, Atletico Madrid blanked Eibar 2-0. Atletico avoided losing even more ground to Real Madrid thanks to second-half goals by Saul Niguez and Antoine Griezmann.

The result moved Diego Simeone's team to fourth place but still nine points behind Madrid.