Ronaldo scores again, Madrid roll 4-0 at Granada

 Cristiano Ronaldo extended his scoring streak to 12 straight games before setting up another goal to help Real Madrid ease to a 4-0 win at Granada and take the provisional lead of the Spanish league on Saturday. Colombia forward James Rodriguez had his best game since joining Madrid this summer with a pair of goals, while Karim Benzema also scored from Ronaldo’s pass after setting up the Portugal star’s second-minute opener.

Also, Antoine Griezmann scored his first two league goals for Atletico Madrid in a 4-2 win over Cordoba as the defending champion climbed into provisional second place, one point behind Madrid. Madrid will take its 11-game winning run back home to host Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday. It has outscored opponents 46-7 during that streak.

Ronaldo also kept up his personal streak with his league-leading 17th goal through nine rounds and his 22nd overall this campaign. “Talking about Cristiano is starting to be a little difficult. He is fantastic,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. Granada manager Joaquin Caparros had reacted angrily before the match to a bad headline in a Madrid-friendly sports daily. He tore a copy of Marca into bits at a news conference on Friday after saying the paper had misquoted him in a headline saying “I only ask they don’t steam-roller us” across its front page.

Unfortunately for Caparros, Madrid did just that with the same starting 11 that beat Barcelona 3-1 last weekend. Ronaldo’s sharp right-footed strike to slot in Benzema’s pass after Dani Carvajal, who later left with a leg injury, had won possession near the end-line put the visitors in control. Ancelotti’s team went on to have a placid afternoon in warm southern Spain, with Rodriguez and Toni Kroos orchestrating its attack. Caparros apologized after the match for the “manner” in which he carried out his tirade before the game.

“We prepared for the game believing in our chances, but Madrid’s first goal was a heavy blow,” said Caparros. “We deserved to score a goal but their early goal broke us.” Rodriguez made it 2-0 in the 31st with an exquisite touch of his left boot to send the ball dipping over goalkeeper Roberto Fernandez after being set up by Benzema. Benzema stabbed in his goal in the 54th from a back-heeled pass Ronaldo made with a defender draped on his back, and Rodriguez tapped in his second goal with three minutes to go.

Atletico also had little trouble in making sure Cordoba remained the only winless team in the league, and extended its home unbeaten streak in the competition to 25 games.

Griezmann got his first goal when his deflected shot went in from a corner two minutes before halftime.

Nabil Ghilas headed in his first of two goals to level in the 53rd, but Griezmann restored Atletico’s lead five minutes later with a crisp header to turn in Juanfran Torres’ cross at the near post.

Mario Mandzukic and Raul Garcia sealed the win with headers in the 62nd and 80th before Ghilas got his second with three to play. Malaga visited Real Sociedad later.