Soccer-Garcia hat-trick helps Real Madrid beat Betis 5-1 to cut gap on Barcelona

Soccer Football - LaLiga - Real Madrid v Real Betis - Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain - January 4, 2026 Real Madrid's Gonzalo Garcia celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura

MADRID, Spain, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Real Madrid ‌forward Gonzalo Garcia bagged a hat-trick to lead his side to a 5-1 victory ‌over Real Betis at the Bernabeu on Sunday, trimming the deficit to LaLiga ‌leaders Barcelona to four points.

Xabi Alonso's side, who topped the table before a downturn in November, now have 45 points from 19 matches, second behind defending champions Barcelona, who beat Espanyol away on Saturday. Betis are sixth with 28 ‍points.