Cristiano Ronaldo marked his 150th European game with
two goals as Real Madrid sealed a 3-1 victory at Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday
to top their Champions League group.
Ronaldo claimed two
second-half goals after Gareth Bale’s stunning early volley gave Real the lead
at Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park. The Germans fought back when Pierre-Emerick
Aubameyang finally netted with just over half an hour left, but there was to be
no repeat of last year’s 2-2 draw in Dortmund between the teams. The result
leaves Real top of Group H, just ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, who beat APOEL 3-0
away, with Dortmund third and six points adrift of Spurs, who they also lost
3-1 to in London. Having also netted twice against APOEL, Ronaldo has now
scored four goals in just two Champions League games this season.
He marked his
400th appearance for Madrid in total with another pair to leave him with 411
goals in the famous white shirt. His is the first time Dortmund have lost at
home to Real in seven European games while holders Madrid have now scored in 38
successive Champion League games. Dortmund should have been awarded a penalty
with 13 minutes gone when Sergio Ramos cleared Maximilian Philipp’s shot off
the line and the ball deflected off his hand. Andrey Yarmolenko’s initial cross
sailed tantalisingly over the head of Borussia’s top-scorer Aubameyang in the
build up.
Real took the lead
three minutes later when right-back Daniel Carvajal whipped in a cross and
Bale’s nonchalant volley sailed over Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki for a
stunning goal. With half an hour gone,
Dortmund turned the screw with Carvajal having to rescue Real by whipping the
ball off Aubameyang’s toes with the Gabon striker bearing down on goal. Aubameyang
had the ball in the net on 38 minutes, when he spun and fired home Lukasz
Piszczek’s pass, but the goal was ruled offside as it stayed 1-0 to Real at the
break. Real lived dangerously after the break when Mario Goetze tried to find
Aubameyang, but centre-back Raphael Varane cleared the danger.
The Spanish giants
doubled their lead on 49 minutes when Ronaldo met Bale’s inch-perfect cross. Dortmund
pulled a goal back on 54 minutes when Aubameyang slipped his marker to convert
Gonzalo Castro’s cross, then hit the side netting as Borussia pushed for the
equaliser. With 15 minutes left, Burki had to push Isco’s shot around the post
as Real kept the pressure. Ronaldo, who was left in acres of space, settled the
tie by blasting home Luka Modric’s cross on 79 minutes with Madrid’s third goal
on the break to take the game out of Dortmund’s grasp.
AFP
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