La Liga Highlights: Granada vs Real Madrid - Zidane's men claim 9th successive win

Granada vs Real Madrid: Tune in for live commentary and updates from the La Liga clash between Granada and table-topper Real Madrid.

Karim Benzema's 16th minute strike handed Real Madrid a 2-0 lead against Granada in their La Liga game on Tuesday.

Hello and welcome to Sportstar's highlights of the La Liga encounter between Granada and league leader Real Madrid.

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It's a stunning result for Real Madrid as the win puts the side within one victory away from sealing its 34th La Liga title.

Early goals from Ferland Mendy and Karim Benzema saw Madrid dominate the opening half, but Granada struck soon after resumption through  Darwin Machis.

MATCH REPORT -

Madrid survived some anxious moments towards the end but saw the game through to extend its winning streak to nine games.

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Match highlights

FULL TIME! Real Madrid beats Granada 2-1 to clinch its ninth win on the trot in the La Liga. The result sees Zinedine Zidane's side re-establish its four-point lead at the top over Barcelona.

 

90+4' Chance squandered. Granada wins a corner and the 'keeper also races ahead to be a part of the set-piece. The corner finds Gil Dias at the far post but his header is no where close to the target.

90+3' Courtois is booked for time wasting.

90+2' Gil Dias floats in a decent cross but Montorro's header is well off target.

90' Modric has half a chance outside the box, but his strike floats wide of the post and straight into the empty stands. Five minutes off added time to follow.

87' Gil Dias has a great chance at the far end but his header grazes the side netting. He perhaps could have got a better shot had he used his foot instead of his head...

85' Vital save from Ramos! Azeez fires a low drive towards the right bottom corner but Ramos is in the right place at the right time to clear the danger. Courtois had made a sharp save to deny Antonin seconds before this.

84' Substitution for Granada: Machis is replaced by Ismail.

80' That nearly went in! A fine corner is floated into the box and a melee ensures in the goal mouth. There's bodies on the pitch and it appears that the ball might just sneak into the Madrid goal, but the ref calls off play.

75' Double change for Granada - Eteki and Antonin come on for Fede Vico and Herrera.

72' Domingos is brought down right at the edge of the box and this could be a scoring opportunity for the home side. Update: No real scoring opportunity created, set-piece wasted.

70' We're heading into the last 20 minutes of play and this game is still far from deciced. Granada has looked menacing over the last quarter of play and could just spring up a surprise!

67' Good chance for Madrid - Mendy plays Rodrygo into the box and he tries to square it, but the chance is dealt with by the Granada defence.

64' That will be Isco's last contribution as he is replaced by Rodrygo Silva. Asensio also comes on for Valverde.

 

62' Isco with a repeat of his first half attempt - he gets the ball onto his right leg and tries to curl it into the top corner but it's a routine save for the 'keeper.

60' A very impressive stat, this -

 

55' The goal has instilled a new sense of belief in the home side. Granada looking a lot more organised and attack-oriented now.

51' It's a rare lapse in the Madrid defence and Granada pounce on it. Casemiro lets go of possession and Fernandez does really well to win the ball and find Herrera. He plays a delightful ball for Machis, who makes no mistake and finds the back of the net.

 

50' MACHIS HALVES THE DEFICIT! Casemiro loses the ball cheaply and Herrera crafts a beauty of a pass to release Machis. The forward lets it come onto his left foot and rifles it past Courtois to bring Granada back into the game.

48' A lot to do for Granada here as the home side stares at a two-goal deficit.

46' KICK OFF! And the second half is underway.

 

Two stunning goals from Mendy and Benzema sees Real Madrid boast a 2-0 lead against Granada at the the end of the opening half. Stay tuned for live action from the second 45.

45+1' The set-piece is cleared away by Benzema and Madrid is back on the ball now. Granada really struggling to hold on to the ball here.

45' Ramos brings down Machis at the edge of the box and Granada now has a free-kick from a dangerous position. Two minutes of added time to be played.

43' What a stunning move - Modric shows fantastic vision to play a through ball between three defenders for Benzema in the box. The Frenchman lets one rip, but the Granada 'keeper manages to get a glove to it.

41' Machis plays a teasing cross towards the far post but Mendy clears it away for the first corner of the game.  

36' Courtois dives to his left to make a sharp save to parry away Domingos' header. That's perhaps the first time the Madrid 'keeper has been called into action.

 

33' An uphill battle for Granada here - Real Madrid has the best away record in the La Liga this season. Zidane's men have won 10 games on the road this campaign.

30' A very clean and clinical display sees Madrid lead by two goals at the end of the first half hour of play. Granada hasn't had a shot yet, and the two early goals have pushed the home side onto the backfoot.

27' Madrid's attacks have largely come from the left flank so far, Isco and Benzema have been creating all sorts of trouble for the Granada defence.

23' Granada left chasing shadows here...Madrid is keeping the ball well and the ball distribution has been fantastic so far.

20' The two early goals have put Madrid firmly in control of the game now. Granada is finding it difficult to hold onto the ball, with Madrid offering the side little to no room.

17' He's a man in fantastic form and Benzema gives us a glimpse of that as he strikes his 19th goal of the season to double Madrid's lead.

 

16' BENZEMAAAAAAAA! It's 2-0! Benzema is played in by Modric and he takes his time, moves the ball onto his right leg, and finds the back of the net with a fine strike.

12' Trivia - that's Mendy's first goal for Madrid. Could not have come at a better time, eh?

 

11' It's a banger of a goal from Mendy. He wins the ball close to half way line and storms to the goal. He has two men to beat but powers past them with ease to unleash a ferocious strike and give his side an early lead.

 

10' MENDY PUTS MADRID AHEAD! The left-back makes a brilliant dash into the box, races past two men and absolutely smashes it into the back of the net.

7' Speaking of own goals, here's an interesting bit of trivia - Cristiano Ronaldo's only own goal ever came against Granada back in 2013.

6' Nervous couple of seconds here for Real Madrid. A delightful long ball finds Machis and the Venezuelan fires a low cross that clips Varane's leg and could have very nearly been an own goal.

5' Isco with the first shot on target. He receives the ball on the left and cuts into the box to fire a curling attempt, but Silva has it covered.

3' A lot at stake for the home side here. Having been promoted to the top division of Spanish football this season, a win today will see Granada move up to the eighth spot in the table and remain in contention for a spot in the Europa League.

1' KICK OFF!

1:25 am: Right then, the players are in the tunnel and we;re minutes away from kick-off! Stay tuned.

1:20am: An update from the Premier League - Manchester United leads Southampton by two goals to one. A win today would see United move into the top-four with three games to spare. Follow that game LIVE -

1:15am: Warm ups in full swing. Fifteen minutes to kick-off, ladies and gents!

1:10am: Former Barcelona winger Luis Garcia feels Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos have been instrumental in Real Madrid's unbeaten run since the La Liga's resumption.

Karim Benzema has been in fine form for Real Madrid this season, scoring 18 goals and crafting eight assists in 34 games in the La Liga.

 

1:05am: Did you know? Real Madrid has taken the final step towards officially launching its women's team after the Spanish football federation approved a deal to merge with CD Tacon.  In addition to the senior team, the club will create a youth section comprising of Under-16 to Under-19 sides.

1:00am: Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane says he expects a top game from his boys. Here's a snippet from his pre-match press conference -

 

12:55am: Here's a quick tour of Granada's home stadium, the Los Carmenes, ahead of kick-off:

 

12:50am: In case you had missed it, Real Madrid's Marcelo will miss the remainder of the La Liga campaign owing to a thigh injury. More on that here -

12:45am: Line ups!

Granada XI: Rui Silva, Folquier, German, Azeez, F. Vico, Victor Diaz, Gil Dias, Herrera, Domingos D., D. Machis, Carlos Fernandez  

Real Madrid XI: Courtois, Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Kroos, Benzema, Modirc, Casemiro, Valverde, Isco, Mendy

12:40am: Real Madrid is five points away from sealing the La Liga title and the side will look to reduce that number when it takes on Granada this evening.

Granada, placed 10th in the table, earned a thrilling 3-2 win over Real Sociedad on Friday. Real Madrid, on the other hand, claimed a comfortable 2-0 triumph, its eighth on the trot , against Alaves.

Where can you watch the game live in India? The La Liga match between Barcelona and Valladolid will not be broadcast live in India on any television (TV) channel. However, you can watch the encounter by streaming it live online through Facebook WATCH.