Ronaldo inspires Madrid to seven goal defeat of Malaga

Real Madrid's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates his second goal after scoring against Levante during their Spanish league football match Real Madrid vs Malaga at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid. Madrid won 7-0.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a second half hat-trick to make it 27 league goals for the season as Real Madrid crushed hapless Malaga 7-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday to close the gap on league leaders Barcelona to seven points.
Barcelona won 1-0 at Valencia on Wednesday to put the pressure on Real who had drawn 0-0 at Deportivo La Coruna in their last match, but Jose Mourinho's side responded by maintaining their 100 percent home record with their biggest win of the season.
Ronaldo had gone four games in all competitions without a goal - a drought by his high standards - but the Portuguese star hit the goal trail as Real ran riot.
First half goals from French forward Karim Benzema, Argentine winger Angel di Maria and Brazilian full back Marcelo put Real into a commanding first half lead before Ronaldo took centre stage in the second half to give Manuel Pellegrini a horrid return to the Bernabeu.
Malaga coach Pellegrini guided Real to a record 96 points in the league last season only to be sacked after one season to pave the way for Mourinho's arrival.
Benzema started the match ahead of Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor and repaid the faith by opening the scoring on 27 minutes.
Xabi Alonso delivered a free-kick into the box and Malaga defended it poorly allowing Benzema to stay onside and the Frenchman used the outside of his right boot to steer a volley into the roof of the net.
Benzema had a second goal ruled out for offside minutes later after Mesut Ozil had crashed a left-footed free-kick off the post.
Real were looking menacing and scored again on 35 minutes as Malaga were blitzed on the counter attack.
The visitors were attacking with a corner but Madrid cleared and launched a speedy attack and some woeful defending allowed di Maria to run clean though on goal.
The Argentine showed good composure to side-foot home and then played a key role in the third goal on the stroke of half-time.
Di Maria floated a neat pass to Marcelo and the Brazilian thundered a left-footed volley into the corner as Real went in 3-0 at the break.

Real Madrid's Argentinian midfielder Angel di Maria (C) vies with Malaga's Portuguese midfielder Eliseu (L) and Malaga's defender Manu Torres during their Spanish league football match Real Madrid vs Malaga at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, in Madrid. Madrid won 7-0.

The second half belonged to Ronaldo as the world's most expensive player bagged a 26-minute hat-trick.
Ronaldo opened his account in the 50th minute and added his second from the penalty spot on 67 minutes with an emphatic spot-kick.
The Portuguese star completed his hat-trick nine minutes later after a good pass from substitute Sergio Canales and joins Barcelona's Lionel Messi at the top of the goalscoring charts on 27 goals.
Benzema grabbed his second on 61 minutes and could have had a hat-trick himself, while Ronaldo could have scored six or seven against a poor Malaga who stay second from bottom three points from safety.
Earlier Almeria stay rooted to the bottom of the Spanish first division after a 1-1 home draw with 10-man Racing Santander on Thursday.
Racing played 73 minutes of the match with ten men after Brazilian defender Henrique was sent off early on, but Almeria could not capitalise on their numerical advantage.
Henrique, on loan from Barcelona, hauled down speedy Argentine Pablo Piatti on 17 minutes to earn a red card, but the extra man didn't show as Racing took a 37th minute lead through Gonzalo Colsa and then Adrian Morales missed a penalty close to half-time.
Almeria equalised on 64 minutes through Albert Crusat but the Kings Cup semi-finalists stay bottom of the table four points from safety.
Racing stretched their unbeaten run to six league games with new coach Marcelino guiding the club away from the relegation zone and up to 12th.

SFA reduce Lennon ban

Celtic boss Neil Lennon , seen here in 2006, has had his six-match touchline ban reduced to four after a meeting of the Scottish FA's Appeals Board night.

Celtic boss Neil Lennon has had his six-match touchline ban reduced to four after a meeting of the Scottish FA's Appeals Board on Thursday night.

Lennon was sent to the stand by referee Craig Thomson at Tynecastle back in November after a bust-up with fourth official Steven McLean, and on top of the automatic two-match ban he was further punished in January by the SFA for "excessive misconduct".

However, after the appeal at Hampden, Lennon had his ban reduced by two matches.

An SFA statement read: "The Appeals Board has tonight (Thursday) found that the Scottish FA's charge of excessive misconduct against the Celtic manager, Neil Lennon, was inevitable.

"However, they set aside the original sanction of a two-match automatic suspension plus a further four matches for excessive misconduct and have imposed a new sanction of an automatic two-match suspension and an additional two matches.

"The new sanction will be imposed with immediate effect."

However, the former Celtic skipper could be hit with another ban before he completes the current one which is set to start in Saturday's home game against Hamilton in the Bank Premier League.

Lennon and Rangers assistant boss Ally McCoist are in trouble after having to be separated at the end of an ill-tempered Scottish Cup fifth-round replay on Wednesday which Celtic won at home with a Mark Wilson goal.

SFA chief executive Stewart Regan condemned "the inflammatory and irresponsible behaviour" witnessed during and after the match and confirmed an investigation had been launched into all incidents, including the three red cards picked up by the visitors.

Ibrox duo Steven Whittaker and Madjid Bougherra were sent off during the match, both for two yellow cards, and after the final whistle team-mate El-Hadji Diouf also picked up a red card for a second booking after approaching referee Calum Murray.

The angry scenes during and after the game have been discussed in the Scottish Parliament and both clubs have agreed to meet officials from the Scottish Government and police to discuss the fall-out from the derby fixtures.