Goals: Real Madrid—Ronaldo 23 - Benzema 30’, 41’
Recap: Ninety minutes of inspired football saw Real Madrid capture a 3-0 victory over Liverpool on Wednesday.
A sublime, first-touch finish from Cristiano Ronaldo opened the affair in the 23rd minute. Striker Karim Benzema would double the advantage for Madrid with an inch-perfect header in the 30th. Just 11 minutes later, the Frenchman completed his brace amid a scramble inside the penalty area. Madrid entered the half with a 3-0 lead.
The hosts managed more possession and dicated the tempo of the match following the break, but to no avail. WIth the victory, Real Madrid sit atop Group B with nine points.
Key Moment: To find a key moment in a 3-0 undressing is moot; however, Ronaldo’s finish in the first half served as a reminder: He’s the reigning FIFA Ballon d’Or winner for a reason.
Man of the Match: It’s teetering on Man of the Century at this point for CR7. The 29-year-old finished the match with one goal and three take-ons.
Lesson Learned: The Mario Balotelli experiment is flailing. The controversial striker entered today’s match with just one goal in 611 minutes played. He did little to rectify that with an additional 45 on Wednesday. Most of Liverpool’s success last season was attached to the individual brilliance of Luis Suarez, something Balotelli was brought in to remedy following the Uruguayan's departure to Barcelona. After 10 appearances, the verdict is in: Liverpool must turn elsewhere if the club hopes to achieve a percentage of last year’s success.
Up Next: Both clubs return to league play on Oct. 25, with Liverpool hosting Hull City and Real Madrid battling Barcelona in the Spanish capital.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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