Madrid: Karim Benzema scored his first goals since being implicated in a blackmail case, helping Real Madrid beat Getafe 4-1 in the Spanish league on Saturday.
Benzema scored in the fourth and 16th minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Gareth Bale added a third in the 35th and Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the 38th to give Madrid a needed victory, one day after they were disqualified from the Copa del Rey for using a suspended player in the latest embarrassment to hit the Spanish powerhouse.
Madrid have been under increased pressure since a humiliating 4-0 loss to Barcelona at home, and again coach Rafa Benitez was loudly jeered by fans at the Bernabeu. Many club supporters also repeated calls for the resignation of president Florentino Perez.
Fans also booed after Getafe scored its lone goal through defender Alexis Ruano after a corner in the 70th.
The result allowed Madrid to pull within three points of Barcelona, who play at Valencia later Saturday. Atletico Madrid, four points behind Barcelona, also play Granada later.
Benzema hadn't scored since Oct. 8, when France defeated Armenia 4-0 in a friendly match. His last goal for Madrid was in a 1-1 draw at Atletico Madrid on Oct. 4 at the Vicente Calderon.
Benzema has been charged in France with conspiracy to blackmail in relation to an alleged extortion scam over a sex tape featuring his national teammate Mathieu Valbuena. Benzema is suspected of having played an active role in pressuring Valbuena to deal with the blackmailers.
Benzema spent a night in police custody in November because of the case, which has attracted unwanted attention for the striker with headlines both on and off the sports pages. Benzema also had to deal with an injury, and he had played only three games since the friendly against Armenia.
Madrid built the victory entirely in the first half on Saturday.
"We were very focused from the start," defender Nacho Fernandez said. "We wanted to play the same way in the second half but we couldn't do it. It's difficult, the score had already been made."
Benzema opened the scoring with a goal from close range after a cross by defender Pepe, then added to the lead by evading a couple of defenders in front of the goal before firing a left-footed shot into the back of the net.
Bale also scored with a low left-foot shot from inside the area, and Ronaldo netted his 10th league goal following a fast counterattack.
Ruano put Getafe on the scoreboard with a header toward the end of the match.
"We gave the goals away in the first half, we can't do that," Ruano said. "It's always difficult to earn points in here."
Many Real Madrid fans applauded after the final whistle, but before the match loud boos greeted coach Benitez and Russian player Denis Cheryshev, who played in the team's 3-1 win over Cadiz in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday despite being suspended.
Because Madrid didn't realize that Cheryshev was carrying a one-match suspension for accumulation of yellow cards from the time he played for Villarreal last season, the club was disqualified by the Spanish soccer federation.
Madrid said it will appeal the ruling because the player allegedly wasn't properly notified of the suspension, a claim the federation has already disputed.
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