Karim Benzema surpasses Cristiano Ronaldo record as Real Madrid rout Leganes 4-1

Real Madrid maintained their perfect unbeaten start to the season after they thumped local rivals Leganes 4-1.at the Santiago Bernebau on Saturday night. In what was a comfortable home win, the Los Blancos displayed some entertaining football for their home fans. 

Gareth Bale continued his outstanding form as he opened the scoring for the hosts. The Welsh attacker struck a sweet volley which fumbled into the net after the Leganes goalkeeper failed to deal with it. 

Leganes responded almost immediately through Guido Carrillo, who canceled out Gareth Bale's opener in the 24th minute. The striker on loan from Southampton converted from the spot to keep the game evenly poised going into half-time. 

The Galacticos started moving the ball with more purpose in the second half, and they were ultimately rewarded with goals by Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema, who not only sealed the 3 points for the 13-time European champions, but also maintained their perfect start to life without Cristiano Ronaldo. 

The Portuguese superstar spent nine successful years at the Spanish club, leading them to unprecedented heights and becoming club's all-time top scorer. But prior to the start of 2018/19 season, he decided to end his association with the Blancos, signing with Italian giants Juventus.

READ: Cristiano Ronaldo Awarded 'UEFA Goal Of The Season' For His Amazing Bicycle Kick For Real Madrid Against Juventus

It seemed like Blancos would feel his loss, which came soon after Zinedine Zidane had stepped down from his post as the manager. But under new manager Julen Lopetegui, the club has made a positive start to their season, with Karim Benzema at the forefront.

The French attacker has slotted in smoothly scoring back-back doubles and seems to be thriving in Ronaldo's absence. The 30-year-old's 48th-minute and 61th-minute strikes saw him surpass Ronaldo's record of having scored against 33 different teams in the Spanish top flight.

Benzema’s remarkable feat matches another Madrid legend's record - Hugo Sanchez. Though, he still trails another iconic figure in the Spanish capital - Raul, who has scored against 35 different La Liga teams.

Barcelona's marksmen Lionel Messi leads the pack of this record, having scored against 36 teams, while Athletic Bilbao’s striker Aritz Aduriz trails behind at 35. Benzema’s strike means Huesca is the only team he has never scored against, and the French striker could extend his record when Real Madrid play the newcomers on December 9.

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