Karim Benzema netted twice and Gareth Bale scored a trademark goal as Real Madrid overcame an early scare at Girona to win 4-1.
Seeking their second win of the new La Liga season, the European champions went behind after Borja Garcia opened the scoring for Girona with a superb goal after 17 minutes.
Real briefly looked rattled as Girona probed and Marcelo was continually exposed in the Real defence.
But the inevitable comeback started when Marco Asensio was sent tumbling to the turf by a clumsy challenge and captain Sergio Ramos scored with an audacious 'panenka' penalty on 39 minutes.
Asensio won his side's second spot kick as Pere Pons lunged at the Real forward.
This time it was Karim Benzema who stepped up to stroke home the penalty for his first goal of the season.
Bale produced a typical finish for Real's third goal, sprinting away from the Girona defence after being released by a wonderful pass from Isco and calmly steering the ball home.
Benzema scored his second on 80 minutes as he collected Bale's tempting cross and had time to turn and power the ball home.
The referee referred the goal to VAR for suspected offside but the goal was allowed to stand.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
