Sunday's contest turned out to be a tricky one for Real Madrid in the absence of Vinicius Jr, but another Brazilian settled any nerves. Rodrygo bagged an emphatic brace, scoring two wonderful goals, before setting up the third — inevitably finished by Jude Bellingham. This was hardly a vintage Madrid performance as injuries in midfield made Los Blancos look a disjointed side at times, but the quality of their star men was enough to seal a comfortable 3-0 win.
Rodrygo opened the scoring, nutmegging one defender, steering around another, and whipping a shot into the top corner. Cadiz stayed in the game, though, with Andriy Lunin's acrobatic save denying an equaliser in the first half.
The second was more routine, with Rodrygo at the centre of it all. His second goal came at a vital time, with a mazy run and collected finish alleviating an extended period of Cadiz pressure, and offering his side a comfortable lead. The Brazilian assisted the third, too, feeding Bellingham with an angled pass, before the English midfielder arrowed his shot across the goalkeeper to put the contest beyond doubt.
This wasn't always easy — nor did it look good for long passages. But with Barcelona dropping points, and surprise package Girona constantly picking them up, it was a vital win.
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