Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham on Tuesday night kept alive his pursuit of the Pichichi trophy.
As much comes owing to his exploits in Real’s La Liga meeting with Alavés.
Carlo Ancelotti’s troops marked their return to action a short time ago, welcoming Luis García’s Alavés to the Spanish capital for a league clash.
Despite having long wrapped up the title, boss Ancelotti opted for a strong starting XI, featuring the likes of Toni Kroos, Federico Valverde, Vinícius Jr and the aforementioned Bellingham.
And three of these four managed to find the target, en route to an eventual 5-0 rout.
Midfielder Bellingham, for his part, was first on the scoresheet, getting on the end of a sumptuous Toni Kroos pass to loft an equally pinpoint first-time finish into the far corner.
And, in the process, the 20-year-old kept his hopes of clinching the La Liga top-scorer prize very much alive.
Bellingham has moved back into joint-2nd in the Pichichi standings, level with Villarreal frontman Alexander Sørloth on 19 goals.
Just one ahead, meanwhile, is Girona hitman Artem Dovbyk, meaning the highly-coveted Pichichi is still very much up for grabs as we enter the final weeks of the Spanish campaign.
Conor Laird | GSFN
