Zinedine Zidane's side, which is again 17 points behind pace-setter Barcelona, had boosted morale and confidence with a 3-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League last 16 on Thursday (AEDT).

And Los Blancos followed up that triumph with a victory in a goal-laden match at Benito Villamarin that swung back and forth between two teams who dazzled with a stunning display of attacking football.

Madrid took an early lead through Asensio but Betis, thanks largely to the evergreen, effervescent Joaquin, scored twice in four minutes to turn the match around before half-time through Aissa Mandi and a Nacho own-goal, strikes which followed Marcelo limping off with a hamstring injury for the visitor.

LaLiga's champion recovered brilliantly after the break, though, with Sergio Ramos heading in the equaliser, before Asensio struck a fine finish to put his side back in front - recording Madrid's 6,000th LaLiga goal in the process.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored twice against PSG to continue his blistering 2018 goalscoring form, seemingly wrapped up the points with Madrid's fourth goal after 65 minutes.

Zidane's men survived a late fightback from Betis after Sergio Leon struck, though, with Karim Benzema coming off the bench to score Madrid's fifth, and his side have a six-point cushion in the last of LaLiga's four UEFA Champions League qualification places, with league games against Leganes and Deportivo La Coruna to come for Los Blancos in the next six days.