Real Madrid got back to winning ways on Tuesday night, defeating Shakhtar Donetsk 5-0. More than anything, they got back into the swing of things after a 16-day layoff, but Carlo Ancelotti will be pleased that his team won comfrotably, with Vincius scoring two goals, Rodrygo one, Karim Benzema one, and then an own goal as well.
Real Madrid controlled the speed and possession of the ball in the first half, but neither team was able to create any opportunities of sufficient quality to trouble the two goalkeepers in the opening 35 minutes. However, just eight minutes before halftime, Shakhtar were undone by a bizarre own-goal when Sergey Krivstov’s attempted clearing cut off his foot and looped into the back of his own net, giving Real Madrid the lead in an unusual way.
The visitors increased their lead barely five minutes into the second half, capitalising on their momentum after grabbing a late first-half lead. Luka Modric’s exquisite, defense-splitting pass found Vincius Junior, who gently dinked the ball in to cap off a brilliant Real Madrid move. Five minutes later, the Brazilian scored his second goal, cutting past the Shakhtar defense with some clever dancing before calmly tapping the ball into the back of the net. After a thrilling first 10 minutes of the second half, the goal would allow the La Liga heavyweights to switch to cruise control for the remainder of the game.Things turned ugly for the Ukrainian outfit when Vinícius played a square ball to fellow Brazilian Rodrygo, who cutely side-footed the ball high into the back of the net to cap off Real’s superb performance.
🏁 FP: @FCShakhtar_eng 0-5 @realmadriden
⚽ Kryvtsov (og) 37', @vinijr 51', 53', @RodrygoGoes 65', @Benzema 90'+1'#Emirates | #UCL pic.twitter.com/jOpmgBkinX— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) October 19, 2021
For the visitors, a late Karim Benzema goal would be the cherry on top, sparking a frenzied departure from the Olimpiyskiy Stadium. Shakhtar’s poor start to Group D play continued with this defeat, as Roberto De Zerbi’s side remains winless after three games and Carlo Ancelotti will be pleased with the outcome in Madrid, as Real avoided losing three games in a row in the UEFA Champions League for the first time since dropping three games in a row to Bayern Munich between 2000 and 2008.
