BARCELONA: Cristiano Ronaldo scored his Spanish league-leading 30th goal of the season and set up two more to help Real Madrid rout Eibar 4-0 and provisionally reduce Barcelona's lead on Saturday.

Coach Zinedine Zidane rested several first-choice players for the critical Champions League match on Tuesday, when Madrid will need to overturn a 2-0 deficit to Wolfsburg to make the semifinals.

Little did it matter against modest Eibar as James Rodriguez, Lucas Vazquez, Ronaldo, and Jese Rodriguez all scored before halftime at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

Gareth Bale, Marcelo, and Toni Kroos never left Madrid's bench while Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, and Keylor Navas weren't on the squad.

Madrid provisionally moved past Atletico Madrid into second place at four points behind Barcelona.

Barcelona visited Real Sociedad late, after Atletico was at Espanyol. Bottom-side Levante visited Real Betis in the late match.

James Rodriguez responded to a rare start this season by scoring from a free kick taken from the edge of the area, bending his strike around the barrier and into the corner of the net.

Ronaldo muscled down a defender to win a ball and lay off for Vazquez to strike in, and a minute later he romped free to fire in Jese Rodriguez's pass.

Ronaldo led another charge against Eibar's disorganized defence and crossed for Jese Rodriguez to shoot into an open net.