THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BARCELONA, Spain — Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema scored hat tricks Wednesday to lead Real Madrid to an 8-0 rout of Levante on Wednesday in the round of 16 in the Copa del Rey.
Ronaldo has now scored 25 goals in 24 matches in all competitions for Madrid this season.
Mesut Oezil and Pedro Leon also scored Wednesday as Jose Mourinho’s team dominated the first leg at Santiago Bernebeu stadium from the start, shrugging off its indifferent form in the 1-0 league win against Sevilla at the weekend.
"The result is good for us and our fans because they wanted an exhibition of football and I believe we put one on," said Benzema, who brought his campaign total to nine goals.
Benzema scored the sixth-minute opener by slaloming through the defence and beating goalkeeper Gustavo Munua with a low strike.
Oezil doubled Madrid’s advantage four minutes later after Ronaldo had recovered the ball near the halfway line and raced forward to set up the Germany playmaker near the penalty spot.
Benzema added Madrid’s third in the 32nd, charging into the area to finished off a pass from Angel Di Maria. The France striker set up Ronaldo inside the six-yard box for the fourth right on halftime.
Benzema chipped Munua from a great pass by Di Maria in the 70th, before Ronaldo scored in the 72nd and 74th minutes.
Leon capped the demolition in the 90th.
Mourinho said he was more pleased with how Benzema played than the goals he scored.
"He made movements to support his teammates and then pressured to recover the ball when we lost it," the Portuguese coach said. "When you make good positional adjustments, you normally have a good game."
Simao Sabrosa’s first-half penalty gave Atletico Madrid a 1-0 win over Espanyol with both teams having a player sent off.
Simao converted the 33rd-minute spot kick after Espanyol defender Jordi Amat was ruled to have handled in the area.
Atletico winger Jose Antonio Reyes was sent off in the 42nd minute for head-butting Espanyol forward Jesus Datolo, and the visitors went a man down when Victor Ruiz was sent off in the 68th.
Atletico president Enrique Cerezo recently said Simao will soon be transferred to Besiktas in Turkey, and the Portugal winger received a standing ovation from the crowd at Vicente Calderon stadium when he was substituted late.
"I want to thank Simao like the fans have," Atletico coach Quique Sanchez Flores said. "He is a brilliant player and it has been an honour to coach him."
Koffi Romaric scored twice in Sevilla’s 5-3 win over Malaga, Jose Ulloa hit a hat trick to give Almeria a 4-3 win over Mallorca, and Getafe beat second-division team Real Betis 2-1.
On Tuesday, Athletic Bilbao ended Barcelona’s 10-game winning streak by holding the Catalan club to a scoreless draw. Also, Valencia and Villarreal ended 0-0 and second-division team Cordoba drew 1-1 with Deportivo La Coruna.
The second legs will be played on Jan. 4 and 5.
At Sanchez Pizjuan stadium, Alejandro Alfaro put Sevilla ahead with a rising shot in the 11th.
Jose Rondon equalized for Malaga in the 19th with an individual effort, and teammate Quincy Qwusu-Abeye outpaced the defence and crossed for Rondon to score his second in the 26th.
Sevilla drew level again when Alvaro Negredo headed home a cross by Romaric in the 32nd, but Rondon returned the favour to set Qwusu-Abeye to score Malaga’s third in the 41st.
Romaric made it 3-3 in the 67th with a left-footed shot off a pass from Frederic Kanoute, and the Sevilla midfielder picked up his double with a header in the 82nd.
Diego Capel capped Sevilla’s win a minute later with a shot from inside the area.
Ulloa put Almeria ahead from the penalty spot in the seventh minute, but Mallorca equalized with a volleyed strike from Canadian midfielder Jonathan de Guzman in the 22nd.
Seven minutes later, Ulloa’s header gave Almeria the lead back, but Mallorca’s Victor Casadejesus levelled at 2-2 two minutes before halftime.
Ulloa set up strike partner Kalu Uche to head in Almeria’s third in the 67th, and Ulloa added Almeria’s winner five minutes later.
Pierre Webo pulled one back late for Mallorca with three minutes to play.
At Benito Villamarin stadium, Nicolas Fedor hit Getafe’s opener in the 27th with a left-footed shot, and midfielder Pedro Rios got Getafe second with a long-range strike in the 35th.
Jorge Molina pulled one back for Betis in the 88th with a penalty.