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09.12.2014 » Real Madrid 4-0 Ludogorets. Smooth ride in the UCL group stage
There were no hiccups in Real Madrid's last fixture in the UEFA Champions League group stages, as they hosted and easily disposed of Lugorets Razgrad with a clear 4-0 score. In a game where neither of the sides really had much to play for, the hosts were the ones more interested in winning this clash, since that would allow them to extend their winning streak to an impressive 19-game record. That's precisely what happened, mainly thanks to first-half goals delivered by Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, which were then to be followed by another two goals in the last 10 minutes of the match, first by Arbeloa and lastly by Medrán. In the other game of the group, Liverpool failed to go beyond a 1-1 home draw against Basel, which allowed the Swiss side to also go through into the knockout stages of the competition, by earning the 2nd place in Group B.
Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Real Madrid vs Ludogorets Razgrad
Real Madrid 4-0 Ludogorets Razgrad - Goals and highlights:
All Cristiano Ronaldo actions vs Ludogorets Razgrad:
Without much at stake except for his winning streak record, Ancelotti decided to mix things up a little bit ahead of this European fixture against Ludogorets. The Merengues presented a fully revamped defensive line at the back, starting with their goalkeeper spot, which was taken by Keylor Navas. The left wing was delivered to Fábio Coentrão, while the right corridor became Arbeloa's responsibility. In the center, Varane and Nacho replaced Pepe and Sergio Ramos, and the two partnered up to close the gates from any Bulgarian threats.
Having made so many changes in defense, probably led Ancelotti to feel a bit reluctant in extending it to the other areas of his team. In midfield, the more dynamic and demanding tasks were given to Illarramendi, Kroos and Isco, whose mission was naturally to serve the three attacking men lined up by Ancelotti: Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Chicharito. The Portuguese forward also wore the captain's armband in a UEFA Champions League game for the first time in his career.
The opener arrived around the 20th minute of the first half, when a header from Varane got blocked by Marcelinho's arm, with the Brazilian player standing right on the goal line. The referee didn't hesitate much and immediately pointed to the spot, just before he pulled off the red card and forced Ludogorets to play with 10 men from that moment onwards.
As usual, Cristiano Ronaldo took things over from there and easily converted the penalty-kick to has put Real Madrid on the driving seat. It was his 72nd goal in the UEFA Champions League (his 5th this season), which allowed him to finally surpass Raúl's 71-goal record and get closer to Messi's 74-goal mark. Barcelona will host PSG tomorrow night though, so the Argentinian will have a new chance to extend the gap in this very particular race that will probably last for several more years.
The 2-0 came in following another corner-kick, but this time there were no more arms coming in the way of the ball's route to the back of the net. Toni Kroos took the corner and Gareth Bale elevated more than his opposition in the box to head it past Stoyanov and make it 2-0 for the hosts. His header still hit the crossbar before bouncing a few inches across the goal line, but nothing that would prevent the referee from making the right call. Ludogorets were clearly struggling to defend these set-pieces and Madrid were still going to make them pay again, but only later in the second half...
The game naturally calmed down after the Merengues reached their cushion goal and the third successful strike was only delivered later on the night, in the 80th minute of the clash. Once again, it all started on a corner-kick, with Cristiano Ronaldo providing the assist with a header and Arbeloa finishing it off from close range, through a right-foot volley. His shot was still blocked by Ludogorets goalkeeper, but the referee claimed that the ball had already gone in and Arbeloa got to celebrate his 5th goal ever for Real Madrid.
The last goal of the night was scored by Alvaro Medrán, who had the fortune of seeing his deflected shot rise high and go straight into the goal. In his previous 5 appearances this season, the Canterano had never scored a goal for Real Madrid's first team. The 20-year old will certainly earn a big boost in his motivation levels for the future, especially after having debuted in the Champions League and having already added his name to the scoresheet.
Real Madrid line-up vs Ludogorets Razgrad:
Goalkeeper: Keylor Navas
Defenders: Fábio Coentrão, Varane, Nacho, Arbeloa
Midfielders: Illarramendi, Kroos, Isco
Attackers: Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, Chicharito.
| Match stats provided by www.ronaldo7.net
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|---|---|---|
Real Madrid
|
vs
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Celta de Vigo
|
4 |
Goals |
0 |
19 |
Shots |
7 |
15 |
Shots on goal |
4 |
17 |
Corner kicks |
3 |
6 |
Fouls commited |
7 |
1 |
Yellow cards |
0 |
0 |
Red cards |
1 |
60% |
Ball possession |
40% |
Cristiano Ronaldo next game will be a La Liga fixture against Almeria, scheduled for next Friday, the 12th of December. You can watch Juventus live stream, Almeria vs Real Madrid, Barcelona vs PSG, AS Roma vs Manchester City, Chelsea vs Sporting, and Bayern Munich vs CSKA, all matches provided from our live football game pages.
Real Madrid next game:
Almeria vs Real Madrid kick-off time (12-12-2014):
Jakarta (Indonesia) | GMT+6: 01:45
Spain (Madrid) | GMT+1: 20:45
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | GMT+0: 19:45
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | GMT-4: 15:45
New York (United States) | GMT-5: 14:45
Los Angeles (United States) | GMT-8 11:45
Beijing (China) | GMT+7: 02:45
Sources: ronaldo7.net / realmadrid.com / dailymail.co.uk / skysports.com / bbc.com
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