Garcia's hat trick make up for Mbappe's injury
Reading Time: 3min | Sun. 04.01.26. | 20:40
Real demolished Betis 5-1 at home
Coaches rack their brains, improvising in unforeseen situations, and sometimes it is enough to reach for the simplest solution. There is no need to complicate things all the time or reinvent the wheel. Perhaps Xabi Alonso will think about that in the coming period, now that he has activated an invention Raul Gonzalez left behind at Real Madrid. Xabi Alonso had a dilemma: last June there was an option to send Gonzalo García out on loan. He didn’t do it. He kept the striker who had grown up in Valdebebas by his side and finally gave him a chance. He started against Betis and, in Real Madrid’s 5–1 (1–0) win, treated the Andalusians to a hat-trick — and what a hat-trick it was.
It was worth waiting for an opportunity at the Santiago Bernabeu. Gonzalo García was not impatient; he was ready to spend most of the season on the sidelines. He was given chances by the spoonful, with Xabi Alonso often bringing him on in the final minutes of matches, whether in La Liga or the Champions League. He was a starter only once in the league, against Espanyol. Gonzalo García had no goals to his name, but he could take comfort in the fact that he was higher in the hierarchy than Endrick. The Brazilian was sent out on loan to Lyon, and space opened up for the Spanish striker after Kylian Mbappe’s injury. He was thrown into the fire and confirmed that nothing he did at the Club World Cup was a coincidence.
A few months ago, he was scoring against Al Hilal, Salzburg, Juventus and Dortmund, and providing an assist against Mexico’s Pachuca. Today it was clear once again: there are matches when Real Madrid’s job can be done only by a classic centre-forward, and there are others when someone like Gonzalo García is very much needed. Gonzalo García positioned himself brilliantly at the far post in the first half when Rodrygo crossed — he was exactly where he needed to be. That was the prelude to the spectacle he himself directed. Early in the second half, he controlled the ball with his chest outside the penalty area and launched a guided missile; a beautiful volley ended up in Betis’ net.
In the meantime, Raul Asensio and Cucho Hernandez also got on the scoresheet at the Santiago Bernabéu, but that was merely an interlude — a short pause in the show put on by the youngster who was shaped in Castilla. In the closing stages, Arda Guler played the ball into the six-yard box, and Gonzalo García flicked it with his heel into the far corner. Perhaps in that situation the Turk didn’t even intend to find him, as Jude Bellingham was sprinting in behind with his arms outstretched. A terrific hat-trick. Xabi Alonso will be pondering in the coming period how and in what way to use Gonzalo García — certainly more than he has so far. And to make sure Gonzalo wasn’t the only García talked about in Madrid tonight, left-back Fran made his mark in stoppage time.
LA LIGA - MATCHDAY 18
Friday
Rayo Vallecano - Getafe 1-1 (1-0)
/De Frutos 45+1 - Arambarri 90/
Saturday
Celta - Valencia 4-1 (1-0)
/Iglesias 33 pen, 59, El-Abdellaoui 83, Alvarez 90+4 - Pepelu 70/
Osasuna - Ath. Bilbao 1-1 (1-0)
/Garcia 34 - Guruzeta 71/
Elche - Villareal 1-3 (1-2)
/Neto 30 - Moleiro 7, Mikautadze 13, Pedraza 83/
Espanyol - Barcelona 0-2 (0-0)
/Olmo 86, Lewandowski 90/
Sunday
Sevilla - Levante 0-3 (0-1)
/Losada 45+2, Espi 77, Alvarez 90+4/
Real Madrid - Betis 5-1 (1-0)
/Garcia 20, 50, 82, Asencio 56, Garcia 90+3 - Hernandez 66/
20.30: (1.90) Alaves (3.45) Oviedo (4.80)
20.30: (2.30) Mallorca (3.25) Girona (3.25)
23.00: (4.00) Sociedad (3.45) Atl.Madrid (1.95)
***odds are subject to change***
