Benzema and Cristiano net hat-tricks in the mauling of Malmö
Real Madrid 8-0 Malmö
Real Madrid orchestrated a relentless beatdown on Malmö as they left the Santiago Bernabéu immersed in jubilation through an eight-goal bludgeoning of the Swedes to restore momentum for the knockout stages.
Karim Benzema would initiate the rout as the Frenchman pounced on Isco's parry shot to open the scoring, before soon finding a second goal with Cristiano Ronaldo again surging down the flank to deliver a ball in for his teammate to head home. The Portugese superstar would then get in on the scoring act from a free-kick along with a slice of luck, on the edge of the area his attempt took a sharp bounce before the keeper and found its way into goal.
A half-time break would give Malmö some time to shy away from the cameras as Madrid were merciless in the pursuit to dominate the visitors, but when play resumed the goals were tumbling again. Johan Wiland had no chance of stopping Cristiano Ronaldo's powerful effort, as the winger latched on to the rebound from Danilo's attempt to make it four, then completed his hat-trick minutes later as he was yet again a force to be reckoned with, one which the Swedish side could not handle. He found space in the box to open his body up and fire it past the keeper who got a touch to it but not enough to divert its course towards goal.
The Ballon d'Or contender would not settle for a hat-trick though, finding his fourth, and Real's sixth just before the hour mark. Karim Benzema backheeled the ball into the box when pressed out, with Isco then feeding it for Ronaldo whose low shot fizzed past the keeper.
After in relativity a dry spell, Kovačić continued the Malmö mauling as he smashed it into ogal from outside the box when a cross was beaten away. Then, for an unprecedented eighth goal, Karim Benzema also got a hat-trick for himself, smashing it past Wiland from around 30 yards out.
And with that, Real Madrid made a colossal statement as they equalled the biggest ever Champions League win with Rafa Benitez holding both records. On the night they showed no mercy whatsoever as they finished whatever chance that came across them. Benzema and Ronaldo hat-tricks are the icing on the cake: when organised and when on their game, Los Blancos are as good as they come in Europe.
Super City top the group
Manchester City 4-2 Borussia Mönchengladbach
Marking a return to full fitness in emphatic fashion, David Silva found the net after just 16 minutes with a truly unstopable goal. Raheem Sterling's backheel set up the Spaniard to run on to goal and smash it into the roof of the net from a tight angle. That lead would not last for long though, as Julian Korb cultivated a firm response from Mönchengladbach, drilling low into goal from the outside of his boot.
With minutes away from half-time, the Germans would leave the home fans frustrated as Raffael found the net after Fabian Johnson set him up to pounce on Joe Hart's short pass. For a big chunk of the second half, the Bundesliga combatants would keep the lead comfortably in tact, until Raheem Sterling found his scoring boots again.
The Englishman marked his 21st birthday in style as he slotted it past the keeper to get on the end of Clichy's cross and equalise with ten minutes left of regulation. He wouldn't be done there, sparking a flame for the Citizens as David Silva won an aerial battle to nod it up field as Bony surged forward and played on Sterling whose first time finish curled marvellously in to the net.
To cap off the turnaround, Wilfried Bony doubled the lead and solidified Pellegrini's men with the top spot, with his first attempt being blocked but following it up by arrowing it into the net to spark celebrations in the blue side of Manchester. A special occasion and special result, they didn't give up and maybe this could be their big break in Europe.
Red Devils crash out of Champions League
Wolfsburg 3-2 Manchester United
WITH EXTRACTS FROM MIKEY
After retaining possession after a shaky start, Martial ensured Louis van Gaal's attacking decisions paid off. Surrounded by pace but also creative players, The Frenchman used his sharp acceleration to pounce onto Mata's through ball, leave his marker for dead then take a couple of touches then knock the ball past the advancing Benaglio.
However, the lead didn't last long. Known for their strong defensive frame under Van Gaal, the Red Devils conceded a goal that could have been prevented. Ricardo Rodriguez, on the right, whipped in a dangerous free-kick which saw centre-back Naldo escape Smalling's presence to lash a fierce volley past De Gea low into the bottom corner.
Wolfsburg were dominating late in the first half and seemingly targeted the inexperienced Guillermo Varela. With the frightening prospect of a speedy and fired up Schurrle scorching down the flank, he had Varela in major trouble with pace and dazzling footwork. Fortunately for United, the attack resulted in nothing. Meanwhile, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson replaced the injured Darmian as Wolfsburg lead United 2-1 at half time.
Josuha Guilavogui's error with just eight minutes from time gave Manchester United a lifeline with one foot back in the door for the knockout stages. Fellaini won the header from a cross but in an attempt to clear, Guilavogui headed it into his own net.
But, the drama hadn't stopped there. Naldo broke Manchester United hearts just two minutes later as he was untracked from a corner, drifting in and heading into goal with Blind's failed efforts to clear it out insufficient, reflective of van Gaal's side's efforts in the competition.
Paris break Shakhtar
Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 Shakhtar Donetsk
Paris Saint-Germain eventually broke down Shakhtar Donetsk after a resistive effort from the Ukranians kept things tight right up until Zlatan and Lucas found the net in France.
Shakhtar blockaded the game in Paris for a long spell, with only three shots for the sides at the half-time whistle. Their resistance would eventually be undone before the hour mark as Lucas made the breakthrough, with plenty of time and space in the area as he smashed it into the corner.
Zlatan Ibrahimović would secure the points when Lucas headed it on to his teammate, setting him up to run through and slot it to the near post. It was far from the Parisien's finest performance, but again they got a substantial victory.
And the rest of the action...
Juventus squandered the top spot in their group as they slipped to Sevilla who themselves rebooked their spot in the Europa League which they have won the last two seasons. Fernando Llorente, who the Italians gave away for free, came back to haunt The Old Lady as his goal separated the sides.
Astana were set to end their Champions League campaign with a win but Galatasaray came back to draw with them and go through to the Europa League. Meanwhile, PSV Eindhoven took advantage of United's fall to overcome Moscow's opener and continue their run in the competition. Atletico Madrid slipped under the radar again but they were victorious once more against Benfica.
Real Madrid 8-0 Malmö
Real Madrid orchestrated a relentless beatdown on Malmö as they left the Santiago Bernabéu immersed in jubilation through an eight-goal bludgeoning of the Swedes to restore momentum for the knockout stages.
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A half-time break would give Malmö some time to shy away from the cameras as Madrid were merciless in the pursuit to dominate the visitors, but when play resumed the goals were tumbling again. Johan Wiland had no chance of stopping Cristiano Ronaldo's powerful effort, as the winger latched on to the rebound from Danilo's attempt to make it four, then completed his hat-trick minutes later as he was yet again a force to be reckoned with, one which the Swedish side could not handle. He found space in the box to open his body up and fire it past the keeper who got a touch to it but not enough to divert its course towards goal.
The Ballon d'Or contender would not settle for a hat-trick though, finding his fourth, and Real's sixth just before the hour mark. Karim Benzema backheeled the ball into the box when pressed out, with Isco then feeding it for Ronaldo whose low shot fizzed past the keeper.
.@Cristiano on 🔥! Watch all four goals as the @realmadrid forward breaks another #UCL record! #CR7 https://t.co/SR7mZ2JQEv
— BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) December 8, 2015
After in relativity a dry spell, Kovačić continued the Malmö mauling as he smashed it into ogal from outside the box when a cross was beaten away. Then, for an unprecedented eighth goal, Karim Benzema also got a hat-trick for himself, smashing it past Wiland from around 30 yards out.
And with that, Real Madrid made a colossal statement as they equalled the biggest ever Champions League win with Rafa Benitez holding both records. On the night they showed no mercy whatsoever as they finished whatever chance that came across them. Benzema and Ronaldo hat-tricks are the icing on the cake: when organised and when on their game, Los Blancos are as good as they come in Europe.
Super City top the group
Manchester City 4-2 Borussia Mönchengladbach
Marking a return to full fitness in emphatic fashion, David Silva found the net after just 16 minutes with a truly unstopable goal. Raheem Sterling's backheel set up the Spaniard to run on to goal and smash it into the roof of the net from a tight angle. That lead would not last for long though, as Julian Korb cultivated a firm response from Mönchengladbach, drilling low into goal from the outside of his boot.
With minutes away from half-time, the Germans would leave the home fans frustrated as Raffael found the net after Fabian Johnson set him up to pounce on Joe Hart's short pass. For a big chunk of the second half, the Bundesliga combatants would keep the lead comfortably in tact, until Raheem Sterling found his scoring boots again.
The Englishman marked his 21st birthday in style as he slotted it past the keeper to get on the end of Clichy's cross and equalise with ten minutes left of regulation. He wouldn't be done there, sparking a flame for the Citizens as David Silva won an aerial battle to nod it up field as Bony surged forward and played on Sterling whose first time finish curled marvellously in to the net.
To cap off the turnaround, Wilfried Bony doubled the lead and solidified Pellegrini's men with the top spot, with his first attempt being blocked but following it up by arrowing it into the net to spark celebrations in the blue side of Manchester. A special occasion and special result, they didn't give up and maybe this could be their big break in Europe.
Red Devils crash out of Champions League
Wolfsburg 3-2 Manchester United
WITH EXTRACTS FROM MIKEY
After retaining possession after a shaky start, Martial ensured Louis van Gaal's attacking decisions paid off. Surrounded by pace but also creative players, The Frenchman used his sharp acceleration to pounce onto Mata's through ball, leave his marker for dead then take a couple of touches then knock the ball past the advancing Benaglio.
However, the lead didn't last long. Known for their strong defensive frame under Van Gaal, the Red Devils conceded a goal that could have been prevented. Ricardo Rodriguez, on the right, whipped in a dangerous free-kick which saw centre-back Naldo escape Smalling's presence to lash a fierce volley past De Gea low into the bottom corner.
Wolfsburg were dominating late in the first half and seemingly targeted the inexperienced Guillermo Varela. With the frightening prospect of a speedy and fired up Schurrle scorching down the flank, he had Varela in major trouble with pace and dazzling footwork. Fortunately for United, the attack resulted in nothing. Meanwhile, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson replaced the injured Darmian as Wolfsburg lead United 2-1 at half time.
Josuha Guilavogui's error with just eight minutes from time gave Manchester United a lifeline with one foot back in the door for the knockout stages. Fellaini won the header from a cross but in an attempt to clear, Guilavogui headed it into his own net.
But, the drama hadn't stopped there. Naldo broke Manchester United hearts just two minutes later as he was untracked from a corner, drifting in and heading into goal with Blind's failed efforts to clear it out insufficient, reflective of van Gaal's side's efforts in the competition.
Paris break Shakhtar
Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 Shakhtar Donetsk
Paris Saint-Germain eventually broke down Shakhtar Donetsk after a resistive effort from the Ukranians kept things tight right up until Zlatan and Lucas found the net in France.
Shakhtar blockaded the game in Paris for a long spell, with only three shots for the sides at the half-time whistle. Their resistance would eventually be undone before the hour mark as Lucas made the breakthrough, with plenty of time and space in the area as he smashed it into the corner.
Zlatan Ibrahimović would secure the points when Lucas headed it on to his teammate, setting him up to run through and slot it to the near post. It was far from the Parisien's finest performance, but again they got a substantial victory.
And the rest of the action...
Juventus squandered the top spot in their group as they slipped to Sevilla who themselves rebooked their spot in the Europa League which they have won the last two seasons. Fernando Llorente, who the Italians gave away for free, came back to haunt The Old Lady as his goal separated the sides.
Astana were set to end their Champions League campaign with a win but Galatasaray came back to draw with them and go through to the Europa League. Meanwhile, PSV Eindhoven took advantage of United's fall to overcome Moscow's opener and continue their run in the competition. Atletico Madrid slipped under the radar again but they were victorious once more against Benfica.
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