(CNN) -- Any doubts that Real Madrid's big-name stars will struggle to play together this season were seemingly blown away in a remarkable 8-2 thrashing of Deportivo la Coruna on Saturday.
World player of the year
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick, last year's marquee signing Gareth
Bale netted twice and recently-arrived World Cup star James Rodriguez
was also on the scoresheet in the Spanish top-flight match.
Mexico striker Javier
Hernandez, a loan signing from Manchester United, grabbed the final two
goals after coming on as a late substitute.
It was the first time the
club has scored eight goals in an away La Liga match, and the winning
margin matched the 7-1 success at Real Zaragoza in the 1987-88 season.
"We showed the quality we
have. We have a phenomenon in Ronaldo and we have other players with
great quality," coach Carlo Ancelotti told reporters.
"They combined very well together and that was the best thing we can take from the game."
Ancelotti's team made an
impressive start to its European Champions League title defense in
midweek, beating Basel 5-1, but the club's early domestic form has been
patchy.
This victory, after a win
and two defeats, left Madrid three points behind big rival Barcelona,
which travels to bottom club Levante on Sunday seeking to maintain a
100% record.
City rival Atletico
Madrid, which won the Spanish title last season but lost to Real in the
European final, hosts Celta Vigo later Saturday.
"The season is very long and recovering points on the leaders just now isn't the problem," Ancelotti added.
"We have to improve. Today we showed the quality everyone knows we have which is the capability to score in many different ways.
"We need to continue
improving the balance and our consistency. After two defeats we have
scored 13 goals and that is a good sign that we have responded well."
Ronaldo, who netted
against Swiss side Basel on Tuesday, scored his 23rd hat-trick for Real
since joining in a then world-record $130 million move from English club
Manchester United.
Rodriguez, who won the
golden boot as top scorer at Brazil 2014 before joining Real for a
reported $121 million from Monaco, then scored his second goal in a week
as he curled in a superb left-foot effort.
Ronaldo made it 3-0
before halftime but Deportivo pulled a goal back after the break with a
penalty after Sergio Ramos was ruled to have handled the ball.
Bale -- whose move from
Tottenham last year eclipsed the Portugal captain's transfer fee -- took
center stage with two well-taken goals.
Deportivo, which had
conceded only four times in three previous games, went 6-1 down as
Ronaldo sealed his treble from Rodriguez's pass before Toche headed a
consolation.
Hernandez, who replaced
Bale, fired in a left-foot volley from outside the area and then added a
more customary close-range second to wrap it up.
More to follow...
Culled from CNN
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