ards allowed (247.3) and tied for 20th in takeaways (22). "Its

BARCELONA, Spain -- Cristiano Ronaldo scored a long-range goal worthy of the recently awarded Ballon dOr to spark Real Madrids 5-0 rout at Real Betis, provisionally lifting them level with the co-leaders of the Spanish league on Saturday. Ronaldo netted one of his signature free kicks in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday to celebrate being named the world player of the year, and he topped that with a 25-meter blast taken on the run in the 10th minute in Seville. Gareth Bale followed Ronaldos rocket with a delicately placed free kick in the 25th for his first goal since Nov. 30, leaving the hosts demoralized and in tatters at the back. Karim Benzema, Angel Di Maria and Alvaro Morata all scored before the demolition of bottom-side Betis was over. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid can both regain their advantage over Madrid when they play matches on Sunday. "Everything went our way," said Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti. "It was an important opportunity to reach the top of the table. At least we can sleep well tonight." Betis was left eight points from safety just past the leagues midway mark after Elche earned its first in six rounds by beating 10-man Rayo Vallecano 2-0 at home. Entering the match on a 12-round winless streak and showing no improvement since Juan Carlos Garrido replaced Pepe Mel as its coach, Betis desperately needed to repeat its 1-0 win over Madrid from last season. But Madrid dominated possession from the start, and the talent of Ronaldo and company soon crushed any hopes of an upset. Ancelotti said he would ask Ronaldo "for more" after he won his second Ballon dOr on Monday, and his star forward has certainly done that with two more superb goals this week to help his team advance past Osasuna in the Copa del Rey and tighten the league title race. Ronaldo was aggressive as ever from the start against Betis and his effort paid off when he unleashed a right-footed strike while dribbling at full speed that sailed past goalkeeper Stephan Andersen and into the roof of the net. The shot increased Ronaldos league-leading tally to 21 goals in 20 rounds. He has 31 goals in 26 appearances overall this season for Madrid. Bale turned Andersen into a helpless bystander for a second time when he lifted a free kick over the wall before it suddenly dipped down and into the net. Modric then set up Benzemas goal in first-half stoppage time when he pounced on a loose ball, drew three defenders to him, changed direction and crossed for the striker to slot home. It was Benzemas 100th goal in his fifth season at Madrid. Ancelotti praised the work of Modric and fellow midfielder Xabi Alonso for triggering Madrids lethal attack. "Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema were very efficient. The entire team game them several scoring option because we played at a fast pace," he said. "The help of our midfielders, above all Modric, was very important." Andersen denied Ronaldo one-on-one after half time, but he couldnt stop Di Maria from sending a rebound from outside the area skidding just inside the upright in the 62nd minute. Substitute Morata scored the fifth in the 90th minute. Elche was up a goal and a player from the 19th minute when Edu Albacar converted a penalty after Rayos Raul Baena was red-carded for fouling Ferran Corominas in the box. Javi Marquez sealed the victory in the 79th to leave Rayo in the relegation zone. Espanyol hosted Celta Vigo later, while Osasuna travelled to Granada. Barcelona visits Levante on Sunday after Atletico hosts Sevilla. Shoes China . Rodriguez, who has steadfastly denied using banned substances while with the New York Yankees, made the decision nearly four weeks after arbitrator Fredric Horowitz largely upheld the discipline issued last summer by baseball Commissioner Bud Selig. "I think its a good move for him," former Commissioner Fay Vincent said. Shoes Sale . -- Howie Kendrick had a two-run single in his first game batting leadoff this season, Chris Iannetta hit a pair of RBI singles and the Los Angeles Angels beat Cleveland 6-4 Tuesday night, sending the Indians to their fifth straight defeat. https://www.fakeshoeswholesale.com/ . You can catch all of the action LIVE on TSN2 at 6pm et/3pm pt. The Heat reached that mark Saturday night when they ruined the Philadelphia 76ers home opener. Cyber Monday Shoes . -- The NFL Players Association wants to determine if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers leaked information about quarterback Josh Freeman being in the NFLs substance abuse program. Clearance Shoes . With the suspension, Nigeria is unable to take part in any kind of international fixtures. FIFA had issued a warning to the NFF last week after the federation was served with court proceedings from the government that prevented the NFFs president from running the NFFs day-to-day affairs.GREEN BAY, Wis. - Ted Thompson is happy to have Julius Peppers in the fold. But the Packers general manager insisted Thursday that landing the eight-time Pro Bowl defensive end from the rival Chicago Bears wont have an effect on what Green Bay does with its nine selections in next weeks NFL draft. In his first public comments since Peppers surprising signing on March 15, Thompson said he believes the 34-year-old lineman has plenty left in the tank and that he expects him to have an impact on the Packers up-and-down defence. "Theres no evidence of any decline in his play, in our opinion," Thompson said Thursday. "He still has the same athletic traits that he had coming out (of college). Hes had a remarkable history in the NFL in terms of durability. Were looking forward to it. I think he is, too." The 6-foot-7, 287-pound Peppers certainly has been durable, playing in 186 of a possible 192 games. Hes also been productive, registering the second-most sacks (118.5) in the NFL and forcing the fifth-most fumbles (39) since he entered the league. He leads all NFL defensive linemen with nine interceptions over that span. But playing 855 snaps for the Bears last season, Peppers managed only 7.5 sacks, the third-lowest total of his 12-year NFL career. The Packers envision him as a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker in their 3-4 defence, and their hope is that by playing him fewer snaps, they will not only increase his production but give opposing offences another pass-rushing threat to worry about opposite four-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker Clay Matthews. Matthews, who missed six games last season with a twice-broken thumb, is expected to be fully healthy for training camp. "When I view him as a football player, hes an individual youd like to create targeting problems," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said of Peppers in March. "He has the ability to pplay from the two-point stance, has the ability to play on the move.dddddddddddd" In 10 career games against the Packers with Carolina and Chicago, Peppers has recorded 9.5 sacks, his fourth-highest total against a specific opponent. The Packers finished tied for eighth in the 32-team NFL last season in sacks with 44 despite Matthews absence. Their hope is that Peppers, who reported for the first day of the off-season program last week, will have an impact on more than just that one category. Last season, the Packers finished tied for 24th in scoring defence (26.8 points per game), 25th in yards allowed (372.3), 25th in rushing yards allowed (125.0), 24th in passing yards allowed (247.3) and tied for 20th in takeaways (22). "Its fun to see Julius. Hes a specimen. He looks great," Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said last week. "Itll be fun to get him really into the fold and get him feeling like hes part of the team, encouraging him to be a leader for us. I think he brings a lot to the table -- on the field and in the locker room. Im just excited about not having to run away from him anymore." As hopeful as the Packers are of Peppers contributions, Thompson insisted that he wont approach the No. 21 overall pick - or any of his other picks - differently with Peppers on board. "We talked about this before. I might sound like a broken record, but we feel that the draft is a long-term investment," said Thompson, whose teams most immediate needs appear to be at safety, linebacker, tight end, offensive line and cornerback. "We dont get too carried away with what our perceived needs are at the moment. We think thats good business. If you can marry those things up thats fine but if you stretch to try to fill quote unquote need somewhere then you end up messing up a couple of spots, so we try to stick to the best player available." ' ' '