Goals: Real Madrid—Ronaldo 35’
Recap: Real Madrid captured a 1-0 victory over FC Basel on Wednesday.
Just 24 hours after Lionel Messi broke the record for most goals in Champions League history (74), Cristiano Ronaldo attempted to make history of his own. The 29-year-old opened the affair in the 35th minute, tying Raul for the second-most goals in tournament history (71). He missed an opportunity to surpass the former Madrid star in the second half, but it proved to be of zero consequence.
With the victory, Real Madrid secure first place in Group B.
Key Moment: Basel’s best opportunity to find an equalizer came in the 67th minute, but a world-class save from Keylor Navas on Breel Embolo denied the hosts.
Man of the Match: Ronaldo finished with the match-winner and six take-ons.
Lesson Learned: Isco is the most complete and versatile player at Carlo Ancelotti’s disposal. With Luka Modric succumbing to injury during the international break (thigh), filling his void in the defensive midfield became priority No. 1 for Los Merengues. The solution was quickly found in the form of Isco. The 22-year-old continued his mastery of the game in partnership with Toni Kroos on Wednesday. Dedication to his defensive responsibilities showed on the stat sheet. In over 90 minutes, Isco finished with two tackles and four take-ons, becoming the Swiss Army Knife of Real Madrid.
Up Next: Both clubs return to league play, with Real Madrid visiting Malaga on Nov. 29 and Basel traveling to Zurich on Nov. 30.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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