Real Madrid 6 - 1 Real Betis

Real Madrid 6-1 Real Betis

Updated: February 21, 2009, 4:34 PM ET

Real Madrid took another chunk out of Barcelona's lead at the top of the Primera Liga table after swamping Real Betis with a stunning first-half display resulting in a 6-1 win at the Bernabeu.

All seven goals were scored before the break, with captain Raul and Klaas Jan Huntelaar both netting braces for Madrid to add to further efforts from team-mates Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Ramos.

Ricardo Oliveira had pulled a goal back for Betis, but it was nowhere near enough to deny rampant Madrid a ninth successive league win under new coach Juande Ramos.

Just as importantly as this thrashing though was the result from the Nou Camp, where Barca's shock 2-1 defeat at home to bottom club Espanyol saw the gap between them and Madrid reduced to seven points - having been 12 just over a week ago.

This result was also a massive boost for Madrid ahead of Wednesday's Champions League encounter here against Liverpool.

It took Madrid just seven minutes to open the floodgates when leading scorer Higuain, who missed out in last week's 4-0 thrashing of Sporting Gijon on a day when Raul and Huntelaar took the plaudits, netted.

Raul, who last week became Madrid's record goalscorer, won an aerial challenge to put Higuain through, and the in-form Argentinian coolly rounded Ricardo before slotting home his 14th league goal of the season.

That was the perfect start for Madrid, but it was to get much better very quickly as Huntelaar struck twice to make it 3-0 inside the opening 25 minutes.

The winter signing finally opened his account for the club against Sporting and he made it two in two in the 15th minute when Ricardo made a mess of Gabriel Heinze's cross and the Dutchman pounced to ram in the loose ball.

Huntelaar then put Madrid in total control eight minutes later, lashing the ball home at the second attempt after Ricardo had somehow managed to tip the former Ajax hitman's initial header onto the crossbar.

That should have been game, set and match for Madrid, especially considering their remarkable recent defensive record, but Betis set a few pulses racing as they pulled a goal back and then came within inches of making it 3-2.

Oliveira was involved on both occasions, first skipping inside Pepe before unleashing a 25-yard rocket into the bottom corner of the net to make it 3-1 and then soon after hitting the post following a dreadful mistake by Iker Casillas, who passed the ball straight to the Brazilian.

That proved just the wake-up call Madrid needed though as they blitzed Betis with three more goals before leaving the pitch to a standing ovation at half-time.

Raul netted two of the goals, producing superb first-time shots to finish off passes from Marcelo and Fernando Gago, before former Sevilla player Ramos made it 6-1 on the stroke of half-time.

Heinze arrowed a free-kick in towards the far post where the diving Ramos powered a header past the helpless Ricardo.

If the scoreline was not bad enough news for Betis, then the sight of coach Ramos sending on attacking trio Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Guti as replacements at the break must have been truly demoralising.

Unsurprisingly the chances continued to flow for Madrid, and Robben (two), Sneijder and Marcelo all had chances in increase the scoreline, while in a rare Betis foray forward at the other end Casillas made a superb block to deny a seemingly offside Oliveira.

The biggest cheers were reserved for news from the Nou Camp though, with the Bernabeu crowd twice going wild as details of Espanyol taking a 2-0 lead filtered through.

There was certainly less for the Madrid fans to get excited about on the pitch, although Huntelaar came within a whisker of getting his hat-trick in the 80th minute when he hit the near post after being put through by a clever Guti pass.

There was no need for Madrid to take any risks though and they coasted through the final minutes on a night which could have major repercussions for the title race.