Cristiano Ronaldo goal helps Real Madrid break one of football's longest-standing records

Zinedine Zidane's men had to come from behind to beat Real Betis at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday and go top of the table

Cristiano Ronaldo pulled Real Madrid level with a 41st-minute header (Getty)

Cristiano Ronaldo’s equalising goal in Real Madrid’s 2-1 victory over Real Betis on Sunday helped his club break one of the longest-standing records in football.

The 32-year-old’s header four minutes before the half-time interval made Madrid the first team to ever score in 48 consecutive games, surpassing a 52-year-old record.

Zinedine Zidane’s side have now beaten the standard set by Lajos Czeizler and Elek Schwartz’s Benfica teams, who scored in 47 games straight between December 1963 and January 1965.

Ronaldo’s goal also marked a personal milestone. The Portugal international has now 46 headed goals in La Liga, more than any other active player, outdoing Athletic Bilbao’s Aritz Aduriz.

The goal pulled Madrid back into the game, having gone behind to Antonio Sanabria's strike following an error by goalkeeper Keylor Navas.

Betis looked likely to hold out and claim a precious point at the Bernabeu, but after a red card for Matteo Piccinini left them with 10 men, Sergio Ramos powered in a header to seal three points.

The last team to keep a clean sheet against Madrid was Manchester City, who held Zidane’s men to a 0-0 draw in their Champions League semi-final first-leg at the Etihad Stadium last April.

Madrid have not lost a game and failed to score since a 2-0 defeat to Wolfsburg, which also came in Champions League last April.

The win sent Madrid top of La Liga following Barcelona’s surprise 2-1 defeat to struggling Deportivo La Coruna at the Riazor. Madrid now sit two points clear at the summit with a game in hand.