Casillas praises resilient Real after Ronaldo lashes out

"These are the types of victories that win you leagues," the 'keeper said. "It was difficult and we didn't play at our best. It came more as a result of effort than anything else."

Nabil Ghilas gave the home side an early lead from the spot after a shot from former Manchester United striker Bebe was handled by Sergio Ramos, before Karim Benzema levelled the score.

Real struggled to break down a dogged Cordoba defence and Ronaldo allowed his frustrations to get the better of him, lashing out at both Jose Crespo and Edimar, and earning a sending-off for the latter.

The Portuguese, who faces a possible three-match suspension, later posted on Twitter: "I apologise to everyone and especially to Edimar for my thoughtless act in today's game."

Gareth Bale won and scored the last-minute winning penalty for Real to give the European champions a 15th win in 16 league games, but only after Fede Cartabia had been dismissed for the hosts.

Advantage

The win maintained Real's single-point advantage at the top of La Liga, but Barcelona, in second place, kept up the pressure with a 6-0 win at Elche - their sixth successive win.

Lionel Messi and Neymar scored twice each, and Barca have now beaten Elche three times this season, scoring 15 without reply.

Meanwhile, in Italy, Paul Pogba scored a typically majestic goal to set Serie A leaders Juventus on the way to a 2-0 win over Chievo.

Juve struggled for an hour to break down the lowly side, before Pogba glided past an opponent and scored with a low, left foot shot from the edge of the area.

He also played a large part in the second goal when his volley, following a superb piece of control, was saved by Albano Bizzarri only for Stephan Lichtsteiner to net the rebound.

Elsewhere, former Argentina forward Javier Saviola scored his first goal for Verona in a 1-0 win over Atalanta, and there was goalline controversy in a 1-1 draw between Sampdoria and Palermo.

Meanwhile, troubled Inter Milan were booed off by their own fans after losing 1-0 to Torino with the last kick of the game yesterday.

The fans at the San Siro reacted after Emiliano Moretti was left unmarked to head in from a corner in the fourth minute of stoppage time, giving Torino their first win away over their opponents since 1988.

Inter have won only twice in nine league outings since Roberto Mancini took over as manager.