Real Madrid entered Saturday's La Liga clash with Real Betis off the back of three consecutive league draws.
First-half goals from Raphael Varane, Karim Benzema, Marcelo and Isco all but won the match for the visitors in the opening 45 minutes of action.
Betis had one back early in the second period through Alvaro Cejudo, but Real Madrid restored their four-goal advantage just past the hour when Isco completed his brace.
Cristiano Ronaldo then made it 6-1 in the 78th minute to cap what was a miserable night for the home team.
Read how it all unfolded in Sports Mole's minute-by-minute live commentary of the action below.
6.46pmEvening all! Sports Mole's live La Liga coverage continues from Seville as Real Betis welcome Real Madrid, who are looking to avoid a fourth straight league game without a win. Incredibly, Real Madrid are winless in three consecutive league games for the first time since May 2014. Zinedine Zidane's side, who have dropped down to fourth spot in La Liga, really need to collect all three points tonight!
6.49pmBetis have not beaten Real Madrid in La Liga since 2012 and have lost four of their last five clashes with the Madrid giants – including a 5-0 thumping at the Bernabeu last season. Real Madrid also won 5-0 in this stadium during the 2014-15 campaign, but the points were shared (1-1) when the pair met in Seville last season. Make no mistake about it, this will not be an easy match for the visitors.
6.52pmRight, without further ado, let me bring you up-to-speed with the all-important team news from Seville. Real Madrid have a few injury problems at the moment, but should still have a squad strong enough to collect all the points in this match. Let's run through the XIs from Gustavo Poyet and Zidane...
6.55pmTEAMS!
BETIS: Adan; Piccini, Mandi, Pezzella, Durmisi; Petros, Jonas, Brasanac; Joaquin, Castro, Alegria
REAL: Navas; Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Kroos, Kovacic, Isco; Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale
6.58pmBetis boss Gus Poyet has shuffled his pack tonight, with Aissa Mandi, Darko Brasanac and Riza Durmisi among those coming into the XI. It is the same front three that started the defeat at Real Sociedad, however, with leading scorer Ruben Castro joined by Joaquin and Alex Alegria. Experienced Frenchman Jonas Martin also comes into the midfield in place of Dani Ceballos.
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7.02pmAs for Real Madrid, James Rodriguez, Luka Modric, Casemiro and Sergio Ramos are all on the sidelines for the Madrid giants. Ramos's absence opens up a spot at centre-back for Pepe, while Mateo Kovacic and Isco both start in central midfield alongside Toni Kroos. It is the 'BBC' in attack, however, with Cristiano Ronaldo lining up alongside Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema in the final third.
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7.05pmSo there we have it. The two teams are in and we are now just about 40 minutes from kickoff on this mild evening in Seville. I shall speak about the home side and their start to the season a little bit later, but let's start with Real Madrid, who have dropped down to fourth position in the table courtesy of wins for Sevilla and Barcelona this afternoon. Atletico Madrid are also currently leading Granada 4-1 at the Vicente Calderon, which is sending Diego Simeone's side back to the top of the division.
7.08pmReal Madrid have won four and drawn three of their seven league matches this season – scoring 16 times in the process and conceding seven. They absolutely flew out of the blocks with wins over Real Sociedad, Celta Vigo, Osasuna and Espanyol in their first four league matches of the campaign, but will enter this fixture off the back of three successive draws in Spain's top flight.
7.12pmA 1-1 draw at home to Villarreal on September 21 was far from a disaster due to the strength of the Yellow Submarine, but Real Madrid then dropped two points after leading at Las Palmas one week later, before being held to a 1-1 draw by Eibar at the Bernabeu before the international break. That said, Zidane's side still entered this weekend level on points (15) with capital rivals Atletico at the summit.
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7.15pmDespite wobbling in recent weeks, Real Madrid have actually picked up the same number of points from seven matches this season as they have collected in each of the last two campaigns. On both occasions, they finished second and Los Blancos have now not won Spain's top prize since 2012, which is far too long. That said, they have won two of the last three Champions League titles.
7.18pmIncluding the Champions League, Real Madrid have drawn their last four games in all competitions, having picked up a 2-2 draw away to Borussia Dortmund in their last European match. That result followed a 2-1 win over Sporting Lisbon, which has left them with four points from two group matches. In truth, they should absolutely breeze through their Champions League section.
7.22pmIn terms of what is ahead for the Spanish giants, they will host Legia Warsaw in their third Champions League group match on Tuesday, before welcoming Athletic Bilbao to the Bernabeu in the league next weekend. The month then ends with a trip to Deportivo Alaves, before opening the month of November with a trip to Legia Warsaw in the Champions League. Busy times ahead.
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7.25pmCristiano Ronaldo will enter this match having scored five times for Portugal during the international break, but the 31-year-old is without a goal in his last three league matches, which is his worst run of form for over a year. Questions have been asked of the forward in recent weeks, but he always responds and it would not be a surprise to see him end tonight's match with a couple of goals.
7.28pmAs for Betis, the Andalusian outfit have won two, drawn two and lost three of their seven league matches this season, with a total of eight points leaving them down in 14th position in the table. They are actually only two points outside of the relegation zone, but by the same token, just two points off the top 10. The league table is still pretty irrelevant at this stage of the campaign.
7.32pmAfter returning to La Liga courtesy of winning the Segunda Division in 2015, Betis finished a comfortable 10th in Spain's top flight last season. There was a change of manager, however, with Juan Merino leaving his role and Gus Poyet taking control of the Spanish outfit. As expected, Poyet has not been afraid to air his views in the early stages of the season. I hope he is animated tonight!
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7.35pmBetis, who have not lost in any of their first three home league games for the first time since the 2003-04 campaign, opened their season with a 6-2 defeat at the champions Barcelona on August 20, before drawing 0-0 with Deportivo La Coruna on home soil one week later. Then came a 3-2 win at struggling Valencia, before drawing 2-2 at home to Granada on September 16.
7.38pmBetis suffered a 1-0 defeat at their bitter rivals Sevilla on September 20, however, before beating Malaga 1-0 and losing 1-0 at Real Sociedad last time out. They have scored eight league goals this season and four of those have come from their record scorer Ruben Castro, who continues to produce sensational performances at the age of 35. The striker, who recently signed a new contract, managed 19 league goals in 38 appearances last season. He leads the Betis line once again tonight.
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7.42pmTEAMS!
BETIS: Adan; Piccini, Mandi, Pezzella, Durmisi; Petros, Jonas, Brasanac; Joaquin, Castro, Alegria
REAL: Navas; Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Kroos, Kovacic, Isco; Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale
0 minKICKOFF! Betis kick things off on home soil...
2 min... there is a wonderful atmosphere inside the stadium tonight and the home side will look to feed off their supporters in the early stages of this match. Real Madrid, however, have a point to prove tonight and will be determined to return to winning ways. It should be an open and entertaining match.
3 minYou just get the feeling that the first goal tonight - if there indeed is one - could be vital. Real Madrid force a free kick in a dangerous area as Ronaldo is brought to the ground by Piccini...
4 min... GOAL! Betis 0-1 Real Madrid (Varane)
5 minReal Madrid make the breakthrough inside four minutes in Seville as Varane heads a super Kroos free kick into the bottom corner. Not sure about the marking, but it is a super header from Varane!
6 minCHANCE! Oh my word! Super chance for Real Madrid as Isco sets up Ronaldo with a super cross, but the Portuguese fires over the crossbar from close range! Should have scored!
8 minBetis would have wanted to settle in the opening 15, 20 minutes here without conceding a goal. Well, that plan is now out of the window. Betis will still fancy their chances of causing some problems, but Real Madrid have a lot of players on the field who have a point to prove here.
9 minIt is getting very lively on the touchline here as Gus Poyet has a go at the referee!
10 minOh Gus, never change! The referee made the wrong decision and the former Sunderland boss let him know all about it. I suspect that is not the last time that the Uruguayan will lose his temper tonight.
12 minBetis might be behind, but they are causing some problems, especially when Joaquin and Alegria are given time and space in wide positions. The difficulty is that Real Madrid are so strong on the counter-attack and could quickly take this game away from the hosts. Cracking 12 minutes thus far!
13 minAnother half-chance for Real Madrid as Marcelo feeds Benzema inside the Betis box, but Pezzella is across to make the challenge. The home side really cannot afford to concede a second goal here.
14 minSomeone has been having his Rice Krispies...
2 - Raphaël Varane has scored in the Real Madrid's last two away games (vs Borussia Dortmund & vs Real Betis). Confidence.
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) October 15, 2016
15 minSAVE! Bale is too strong for Durmisi and looks favourite to score as he rises to meet a cross at the far post, but Adan just about does enough to scramble the ball behind!
17 minReal Madrid are too smart, too quick, too strong for Real Betis at the moment. While it remains 1-0, Betis will always be in the match. But another for the visitors would make things very difficult. Just a reminder that a win for Los Blancos tonight would take them into second spot behind Atletico.
20 minHalf-chance for the home side this time as Real Madrid concede possession in a dangerous area and Ruben Castro has a pop from distance, but his effort was always moving high of the post.
22 minJust a reminder that Ronaldo is without a goal in his last three league matches, which is just incredible. He has already passed up one big chance tonight, but should get some more. Would it really surprise anyone if he managed to end this game with a couple of goals? He's still a superstar.
24 minAdan has to be alert to make contact on a Bale cross ahead of Ronaldo, who looked favourite. Real Madrid continue to threaten as Marcelo delivers a couple of telling crosses into the box.
26 minVarane has been very, very sharp for Real Madrid tonight as he cuts out another Betis attack before releasing Ronaldo down the left. It would be fair to say that the Frenchman was a little disappointing last season, but he has been excellent in the early stages of the 2016-17 campaign.
27 minRonaldo cuts inside and stings the palms of Adan from distance.
29 minThe quality from Betis has not been great in the last few minutes, with Joaquin guilty of over-cooking a couple of crosses from wide positions. The hosts are a threat, but they need to start producing more inside the Real Madrid box. Varane's header still separates the two teams here.
30 minAdan has to get down to keep out a low strike from Marcelo, but it has been pretty comfortable for the Betis goalkeeper in the last 10 minutes or so. Not too many clear opportunities here.
31 minNot too far away from Castro as the 35-year-old curls one just wide of Navas's posts.
31 minGOAL! Betis 0-2 Real Madrid (Benzema)
32 minReal Madrid have their second of the match as Kroos robs possession in midfield before feeding a super pass into Benzema and the Frenchman simply places the ball past Adan from close range.
34 minAdan has to keep out a low cross from Marcelo as Real Madrid search for a third goal late in the first period. In truth, the visitors have been far too good for the home side so far tonight.
36 minCLOSE! Piccini cuts inside two defenders before curling one towards the top corner, but his effort is just over the crossbar. Betis really could have done with that going in!
39 minGOAL! Betis 0-3 Real Madrid (Marcelo)
40 minGame, set and match. Real Madrid have their third of the match as Benzema's strike is deflected into the path of Marcelo and the left-back spins before bouncing one into the back of the net!
42 minThree Real Madrid goals and Ronaldo is not on the scoresheet! He will not be happy about that! The points are surely heading back to the Bernabeu though, even with another 45 minutes remaining here.
43 minBOOKING! Isco (Real Madrid) is booked for dissent.
45 minIt will be very interesting to see whether Ronaldo plays the full 90 minutes tonight. As we have seen, he does not like to be replaced. But Real Madrid are back in Champions League action next week. Little bit of pressure from Betis as we approach the final stages of the first period here.
45 minGOAL! Betis 0-4 Ronaldo (Isco)
45 min+1Oh my word what a goal! Stunning free-flowing move from the away side and it ends when Ronaldo delivers a super cross into Bale, who simply squares for Isco and the midfielder taps home!
45 min+2HALF-TIME: Betis 0-4 Real Madrid
8.32pmSo there we have it. The referee brings the first period to a close with Real Madrid leading 4-0 following a wonderful first-half performance. Varane opened the scoring inside four minutes, before Benzema, Marcelo and Isco netted in the final 15 minutes of the half. Excellent from the visitors!
8.37pmSTATISTICS! Real Madrid have actually only just shaded the possession with 55%, but they have dominated in terms of goal attempts - 14, six of which have been on target. Betis, meanwhile, did not manage to hit the target with any of their three first-half attempts. Not good for Gus Poyet!
8.42pmBENCH WATCH! In truth, this game was finished as a contest when Real Madrid's third goal went in. However, Betis boss Gus Poyet does have the likes of Ceballos, Cejudo, Musonda and Sanabria on his bench, who are all capable of making a difference. As for Real Madrid, Asensio, Lucas and Alvaro Morata should see some minutes ahead of more Champions League action next week.
8.47pm
DC: @RealBetis 0-4 @realmadrid (@raphaelvarane 4', @Benzema 31', @MarceloM12 39', @isco_alarcon 45').#RMLiga #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/nsqLYQa4IK
— Real Madrid C. F. (@realmadrid) October 15, 2016
46 minRESTART! Real Madrid resume the action in Seville...
47 min... I think it would be safe to say that Real Madrid have already secured the points in this match. Making sure Ronaldo gets his name on the scoresheet will be priority in the second period, in addition to avoiding any injuries ahead of a busy period. Betis, meanwhile, are playing for pride.
47 minBETIS SUB! Cejudo replaced Brasanac for Betis at the interval.
47 minBETIS SUB! It was actually a double Betis change - Zozulya also replacing Alegria.
49 minBOOKING! Pezzella (Betis) is booked for a late tackle on Isco.
51 minRonaldo is more central for Real Madrid in the early stages of the second period, with Benzema drifting into a wider position. I suspect that we will see Morata at some point in this match.
51 minCHANCE! Joaquin heads towards the bottom corner after Navas had come out of his goal to challenge Pezzella, but Pepe is on hand to make the block! Almost 4-1 there!
53 minBetter from Betis in the last couple of minutes as the home side come close once again - Joaquin sending a low effort just wide of the post. It almost came for Zozulya, but Navas was in control.
55 minGOAL! Betis 1-4 Real Madrid (Cejudo)
56 minNow then! Comeback?! Betis have their first of the night as Cejudo collects a fine lay-off from Joaquin before slipping the ball past Navas from close range. They deserve that as well!
58 minLittle over 30 minutes of football remaining and Betis have their tails up at the moment as they search for a second goal. Can you imagine if they found a second and then a third in the next 10 minutes or so? Real Madrid, however, have a lot of space on the counter-attack at the moment!
61 minIt would not be a surprise to see Zidane make a couple of changes in the next few minutes just to freshen things up. Betis have been much the better side in the second period so far, credit to them.
62 minGOAL! Betis 1-5 Real Madrid (Isco)
63 minOh my word what a goal! Real Madrid have their fifth of the night as Isco bends one into the top corner from a wide position. It is a quite stunning left-footed finish from the Spaniard!
66 minREAL MADRID SUB! Lucas Vasquez replaces Kovacic for the away side.
68 minBETIS SUB! Betis make their third change as Ceballos replaces Jonas.
71 minStill around 20 minutes of football remaining tonight and I have a feeling that we have not seen the last of the goals. It is incredible that Real Madrid have scored five and Ronaldo is not on the scoresheet. Indeed, Bale is also not among the goals as things stand. What has happened to the world!
72 minSAVE! Stunning save from Adan to keep out a powerful Benzema strike and Ronaldo misses the target from close range moments later. It could have been seven or eight here.
75 minREAL MADRID SUB! Morata replaces Benzema for the away side.
77 minReal Madrid have a free kick in a dangerous position as Pezzella fells Morata...
77 min... Ronaldo fires his free kick straight into the wall.
78 minBOOKING! Zozulya (Betis) is booked for a late challenge on Lucas.
78 minGOAL! Betis 1-6 Real Madrid (Ronaldo)
79 minHad to happen didn't it! Ronaldo has his goal as the Portuguese bursts through the Betis defence before firing the ball past Adan from inside the box. You cannot keep this man down!
80 minREAL MADRID SUB! Asensio replaces Bale for the away side.
82 minThis has been a serious, serious performance from Real Madrid tonight. They had to respond after three successive league draws and they have returned to form in true style here.
84 minWe have had some goals in La Liga today! Sevilla started with a 3-2 win at Leganes, before Barcelona beat Deportivo 4-0 at Camp Nou. Atletico then thumped Granada 7-1 in Madrid and Real Madrid have some time to match their rivals in the latter stages. The top four have all won.
86 minSlightly scrappy in the last few minutes as the referee is forced to intervene following a couple of late challenges. Plenty of supporters have already departed, which is a real shame.
87 minRonaldo misses the target from inside the box after a smart feed from Lucas.
89 minCastro works a yard of space inside the Real Madrid box, but his low effort was always wide of the post. It has been a really tough game for the home side against a very impressive Los Blancos.
90 min+1We are into the first of two additional minutes here.
90 min+1BOOKING! Petros (Betis) is booked for a foul on Asensio.
90 min+2Ronaldo sends his free kick into the stands!
90 min+3FULL-TIME: Betis 1-6 Real Madrid
9.34pmSo there we have it. Real Madrid hit Real Betis for six as Zidane's side move into second spot in the La Liga table. It was a very impressive performance from the Madrid giants! That is just about it from me tonight, but be sure to join us again tomorrow for more live coverage! Until next time!
