With Real Madrid's 4-0 victory against Elche on Wednesday, Karim Benzema scored twice from the penalty spot in the first half to move into second place on the team's all-time scoring list with 230 goals.
In a game that was postponed due to the Club World Cup, Marco Asensio and Luka Modric both scored as Madrid triumphed at home to close the gap on Barcelona to eight points once again.
This weekend in Morocco, Madrid won their ninth global club championship. Barcelona won 1-0 against Villarreal on Sunday to extend its lead in the league.
With 228 league goals, second to Cristiano Ronaldo's 311 goals, the 35-year-old Benzema began the game equal with Madrid legend Ral.
Carlo Ancelotti, the manager of Madrid, remarked that Karim Benzema is much more than simply a striker. He is an extremely well-rounded player. He already has a great career, and hopefully he will continue to grow it.
In his previous six games, Benzema has scored five goals. In addition, he had scored against Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal in the Club World Cup championship match after returning from injury.
Before Wednesday's game, the Club World Cup trophy was shown to the crowd at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, and Elche's players provided a guard of honour for the Madrid team.
Before to flying to Morocco, Madrid had lost its last match against Mallorca and had only won one of its previous three league games.
Madrid player Dani Ceballos remarked, “We knew we had to win, it was crucial to maintain pace with Barcelona.” “A difference of eight points is not insurmountable. This squad will continue to compete until the very final game.
Despite playing without a number of its usual starters, Madrid prevailed. Vincius Jnior, a forward, was out due to a ban after receiving too many yellow cards. The injured players were goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, midfielder Toni Kroos, forward Eden Hazard, and defender Ferland Mendy.
Before Benzema scored from the penalty spot in the 31st in the first minute of first-half stoppage time, Asensio gave the game an early lead in the eighth minute. In the 80th minute, Modric scored the game's last goal with a shot into the top corner from within the box.
Elche, which is now in last place and is 12 points from safety, was encouraged by its first league victory of the year against Villarreal on Saturday. It has 21 games and nine points.
On Saturday, Madrid will go to Osasuna in ninth position, while on Sunday, Elche will host Espanyol in seventeenth place.
