Real Madrid continue to flex their muscles in La Liga after a convincing 3-0 victory over a downtrodden Villarreal squad at Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night.

Los Galacticos took a comfortable 3-0 lead at halftime thanks to winger Angel Di Maria, and never looked back.

The 23-year-old Argentine played a roll on all three goals, as he found Karim Benzema with a through ball in the fifth minute for Real Madrid's first goal. Six minutes later, Di Maria found Brazilian playmaker Kaka, who drilled home a left-footed shot.

Di Maria would score in the 30th minute off a fine assist by Benzema, and there was nothing for Villarreal to do but try to minimize the damage of what was already a blowout. The second half was an improvement for Villarreal, but the damage was done in the first half, and the Villarreal attack lacked the punch it needed while Real Madrid appeared to take their foot off the gas pedal.

Jose Mourinho's squad had plenty of opportunities to add more to scoreboard but simply came up short. Real Madrid took 13 shots with six on goal, while Villarreal managed only four shots with three on goal. Los Galacticos controlled ball possession for 63 percent of the match.

Real Madrid went into the match with a six-match winning streak, and having outscored their last six opponents by a combined score of 25-3.

The struggles continue for Villarreal. After finishing in fourth place in La Liga last season, Villarreal is currently in 17th place, and the club is almost certain of missing out on the next round of Champions League.

Giuseppe Rossi, who leads Villarreal with three goals on the season, wasn't able to make his presence felt, after only one shot in the match, before exiting in the 60th minute.

If there was a positive that manager Juan Carlos Garrido can take from the match it was that Cristiano Ronaldo was not much of a factor over the 90 minutes.

With the victory, Real Madrid vault to second place -- one point behind surprise leader Levante, but only one point ahead of rival and defending champion Barcelona.

Real Madrid's next match will be on the road against struggling Real Sociedad on Saturday.

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