Real Madrid began a bid to win an 11th European Cup by beating Shakhtar Donetsk 4-0 in Group A of the UEFA Champions League. It was an impressive start for new manager Rafa Benitez as he bids to win the one trophy Los Blancos care about most.
Goals came from familiar sources for Madrid. Karim Benzema opened the scoring, courtesy of a goalkeeping gaffe. Cristiano Ronaldo added to the tally after winning a disputed penalty. He soon netted again from the spot before turning in Marcelo's deflected shot to wrap up a hat-trick.
Benitez had gone bold with his team selection, relying on that star-studded front three of Benzema, Ronaldo and Gareth Bale to spearhead the attack, per the tournament's official Twitter feed:
Champions League veterans Shakhtar were led by mercurial attacking midfielder Alex Teixeira:
He posed the game's first threat after pouncing on a mistake from Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane. Fortunately, for Benitez's men, midfielder Luka Modric helped deny Teixeira a great shooting chance.
Things were a little cagey early, but Bale soon registered Madrid's first promising effort. Yet the best early chance was spurned by Benzema.
The French striker was put through after a delightful turn from the influential Ronaldo. But despite rounding the 'keeper, Benzema lashed the ball over the bar—a real waste.
Donetsk kept most of the first half a tight affair. They were content to pack numbers into midfield and frustrate a Madrid side dealing with the weight of expectation from the home crowd at the Santiago Bernabeu.
But that cagey game plan was undone in an instant when veteran Shakhtar goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov spilled Benzema's shot into his net to gift the Galacticos the lead.
Bale was then removed after appearing to suffer a calf problem, per the Guardian's Sid Lowe:
The Welshman was replaced by Croatian schemer Mateo Kovacic. But his introduction initially did nothing to increase Madrid's threat.
Benitez's men were content to stay comfortable rather than really press for a second. Ronaldo spurned a good chance, but those were few and far between during the opening 45 minutes.
Madrid playmaker Toni Kroos wasn't wasting possession, as Squawka detailed:
But the German's tidy outing also indicated how much of Madrid's passing went nowhere in the first half. It was all tidy stuff, but there weren't many incisive passes.
At half-time, Benitez introduced Pepe for the shaky-looking Varane. But Madrid got a boost when Shakhtar's Taras Stepanenko saw red for a second bookable offence after bringing down Sergio Ramos.
Controversy came when Ronaldo struck Madrid's second from the penalty spot. It was his shot that supposedly struck the hand of Darijo Srna. To say the least, it was a generous call.
The striker did put Ronaldo ahead of professional rival Lionel Messi as the tournament's all-time leading goalscorer:
Meanwhile, WhoScored.com summed up Ronaldo's incredible run in this competition since he first donned a Madrid shirt:
Ronaldo then added to his tally after winning a second penalty following another borderline handball claim.
After that, the game stumbled and lurched its way toward the finish. Shakhtar's reduced ranks offered little resistance, and Madrid weren't quite sharp enough to add to their tally.
Isco briefly lit up proceedings with some terrific footwork and a deft cross, but Benzema made a mess of the header. It summed up Los Blancos during the closing stages.
Ronaldo turned in his third courtesy of a deflected shot to complete one of the most fortunate hat-tricks in recent memory.
Ultimately though, Benitez will just be happy to start off this European campaign with a comfortable win. Now Madrid own top spot in Group A ahead of their trip to Malmo and before tussling with fellow group heavyweight Paris Saint-Germain.
Post-match reaction to follow.
via http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2567209-real-madrid-vs-shakhtar-donetsk-score-and-reaction-from-2015-champions-league
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