MADRID (REUTERS) - Cristiano Ronaldo scored on his return from injury as Real Madrid thrashed promoted Osasuna 5-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday (Sept 10) to equal the club's 1960-61 record of 15 successive La Liga wins.
Ronaldo started the rout by knocking home an inviting cut-back from Gareth Bale in the sixth minute, with goals from Danilo and Sergio Ramos sending Madrid 3-0 up before the break.
Pepe and Luka Modric were also on target before headers from Oriol Riera and David Garcia provided some consolation for the visitors, who saw Roberto Torres miss a 73rd minute penalty and Cayetano Bonnin sent off in the 80th.
Real have nine points from three games, with champions Barcelona and Las Palmas on six from two and playing later.
Madrid rivals Atletico earlier recorded their first win of the season with a 4-0 away thrashing of Celta Vigo thanks to goals from Koke, Angel Correa and a brace from Antoine Griezmann.
Real's 15th consecutive La Liga win under Zinedine Zidane matched the club record set by Miguel Munoz's side in the 1960-61 season, when Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas and Francisco 'Paco' Gento were in the team.
One more win would equal Barcelona's 2010-11 La Liga record of 16 in a row.
Madrid sat back for a while after Ronaldo's goal, allowing Osasuna plenty of possession that the visitors failed to capitalise on.
Zidane's side then picked up the pace, with Toni Kroos firing into the side netting when goalkeeper Nauzet Perez palmed the ball into his path after a deflected cross from Ronaldo.
Perez was caught out of position in the 40th minute when he rushed out to flap away the ball only for it find Brazilian defender Danilo, who scored from a deflected strike.
Ramos went close with a header off a corner earlier in the half and found the net shortly before the interval in identical fashion, this time directing his effort in under the crossbar.
Pepe added the fourth from another Kroos corner in the 56th, Nauzet fumbling the ball in off the Portugal centre-back's header.
Modric made it 5-0 with a fine effort in the 62nd minute, curling the ball into the far corner from outside the penalty area, before Karim Benzema and Lucas Vazquez came on for Ronaldo and Bale.
Real again took their foot off the gas and Osasuna pulled two goals back, through Riera's header from Miguel Angel de las Cuevas' cross and another nodded effort from David Garcia.
Bonnin went off for his second bookable offence but hopes of a comeback were futile in any case.
