Cristiano Ronaldo inspires Real Madrid to 33rd La Liga title

Real Madrid beat Málaga 2-0 last night, with an early goal from Cristiano Ronaldo setting the team on the way to their first La Liga crown in five years.

Real Madrid were in pole position to win the league when the year started but a 3-3 home draw to Las Palmas and a 3-2 loss to Barcelona at the Bernabeu meant Real Madrid had to win all their fixtures before Sunday's game to be crowned champions.

Madrid went into the game without Gareth Bale and needed a draw or better to snatch the title from Barcelona, who hosted Eibar. They clearly were not settling for a draw as Cristiano Ronaldo scored just two minutes into the game. 

As many fans have often seen this season, the brilliant Isco threaded a sumptuous through ball to release Ronaldo, who rounded the Málaga goalkeeper Kamani to slot the ball home for his 40th goal of the season. He continued his explosive form at the tail-end of the season and credit goes to Zinedine Zidane, who convinced Ronaldo to sit out more games in the middle of the season to conserve his energy later on.

Keylor Navas pulled off a string of magnificent saves before Karim Benzema doubled Madrid's lead. Kameni saved brilliantly from Sergio Ramos' volley, but Benzema was on hand to finish off the rebound and put the match beyond doubt. 

Barcelona, who had to come from behind to beat Eibar 4-2, were finally beaten to the league title after five years of dominance. 

Real manager Zidane said in an on-field interview with Marca, "It was very important (to win the league). It was a lot of years without winning it and we knew that the league is everything. For Real Madrid, because it is the best club in the world, we have to return with this league title."

When asked about Ronaldo, Zidane said, "He is always there to make the difference and I am happy for him – it is a little different because he is always there to do it."

Los Blancos will now have a chance to complete a rare La Liga and Champions League double when they meet Juventus in wales for the UCL final.