Cristiano Ronaldo late brace seals Madrid comeback

Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in the last eight minutes for Spanish leader Real Madrid to rally for a 3-1 win over Hercules.

Hercules went ahead early through a David Trezeguet header before Angel Di Maria volleyed past goalkeeper Juan Calatayud for a 53rd-minute equalizer yesterday.

Ronaldo latched onto a Karim Benzema rebound to put Madrid ahead at Jose Rico Perez Stadium before adding his league-leading 12th goal of the season four minutes later after converting substitute Benzema’s 86th-minute pass. The Portugal forward nearly had a hat trick, but shot high in the closing stages.

Madrid is top of the table with 23 points, while Villarreal and Barcelona – which plays Sevilla later – are tied on 19 points. Earlier, Valencia was held to 1-1 at home against 10-man Zaragoza to go to 17 points.