Madrid, Jan 5 (NationPress) The young forward Gonzalo Garcia netted a remarkable hat-trick, propelling Real Madrid to a commanding 5-1 victory against Real Betis and keeping pace with FC Barcelona at the pinnacle of La Liga.

Garcia, who took the field in lieu of the injured Kylian Mbappe, initiated the scoring with a well-placed header at the far post in the 20th minute, subsequently extending the advantage with a volley shortly after halftime, as reported by Xinhua.

Raul Asencio added to the tally with a free header to make it 3-0, but Cucho Hernandez managed to score for Betis. Garcia then capped off his hat-trick with an inventive back-flick, and Fran Garcia concluded the scoring with a fifth goal during injury time.

Conversely, Atletico Madrid found themselves slipping in the title race after settling for a 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad, making his managerial debut.

Alexander Sorloth gave Atletico the lead just after halftime, but Takefusa Kubo quickly assisted Goncalo Guedes to equalize within five minutes.

Atletico now occupies the fourth position in the standings, trailing Real Madrid by seven points and Barcelona by eleven.

Luis Castro enjoyed a successful start to his tenure as coach of Levante, leading them to a 3-0 away victory over Sevilla.

Iker Losada put Levante ahead just before halftime following a series of quick passes. Carlos Espi scored his first league goal to double the lead with 13 minutes remaining, and Carlos Alvarez sealed the victory in stoppage time.

Real Oviedo, appearing revitalized under Guillermo Almada, drew 1-1 against Alaves.

Federico Vinas scored for Oviedo in the second half, only to miss a crucial chance to extend the lead, while Lucas Boye capitalized on that miss to equalize with a stunning free kick in the 69th minute.

Girona escaped the relegation zone with a 2-1 win against Mallorca, with Viktor Tsygankov and Vladyslav Vanat putting them 2-0 ahead before Vedat Muriqi scored a late penalty for Mallorca.