MADRID: Cristiano Ronaldo ended his lean spell by scoring a hat-trick as European champions Real Madrid thrashed Alaves 4-1 in the Spanish league.
Madrid went a goal down to Deyverson after only seven minutes in Vitoria-Gasteiz but levelled 10 minutes later through a penalty converted by the favourite to regain the FIFA World Player award.
Ronaldo struck again the 33rd minute and, as Alaves threw caution to the wind in the closing stages, so Ronaldo again and Alvaro Morata punished them on the break.
Before this game Ronaldo had scored only two goals in six Liga appearances.
In France Edinson Cavani struck the only goal as Paris Saint-Germain moved up to second in Ligue 1, three points behind leaders Nice, with a 1-0 victory at Lille.
Cavani’s strike was his 10th league goal of the season and came after 65 minutes as he was set up by Angel Di Maria.
PSG had dominated the match with Cavani, Di Maria and Lucas Moura all failing to take chances to make the scoreline more comfortable.
Lille did not create enough goal-scoring opportunities to really challenge for the three points and stay 16th in the table, level on points with third-bottom Caen.
In Germany Bayern Munich beat Augsburg for the second time in four days with Robert Lewandowski on target twice in another 3-1 win.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men knocked their Bavarian rivals out of the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday and they needed little over 45 minutes to see them off once again with Lewandowski and Arjen Robben exchanging goals and assists.
Koo Ja-cheol grabbed a consolation in the second half but that was all it was as Bayern beat their opponents comfortably.
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