Arda Guler played hero for Real Madrid against Getafe, scoring the only goal in an otherwise tepid contest to lead Los Blancos to a 1-0 win. Madrid were admittedly poor against their city rivals, but Guler's first-half moment of magic spared any blushes - and kept them within touching distance of Barcelona in the title race.
The Turkish youngster bagged what proved to be the winner after a slow start, weaving between two defenders before smashing one into the bottom corner from outside the box. Endrick almost made it two shortly after, but saw his deflected strike cleared off the line. Madrid were otherwise sloppy in the first period, settling for nearly moments and half chances.
Brahim Diaz provided a decent effort to extend the lead after the break, only to see his curler well denied by the goalkeeper. Getafe, for their part, threatened in moments. Mauro Arambarri came closest, dragging a shot wide after finding himself unmarked in the box. It was otherwise a bit of a limp to the final whistle - neither side holding onto the ball for long, or creating much. Getafe had one last chance, drawing a nifty save out of Thibaut Courtois in stoppage time to hold onto the lead.
Still, this has been a poor run for Madrid, and results make the difference. Three points, no matter how they come, is never a bad thing. Attention now turns to a massive Copa del Rey final against Barcelona.
GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from Estadio Coliseum...
