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Scoreline: APOEL Nicosia 0-6 Real Madrid
Goals: Modric 23' Benzema 39' Nacho 41' Benzema 45+1' Ronaldo 49' 54'
Real Madrid had a point to prove and a knockout stage spot to claim and they engineered their way through with regal swagger. Scoring as many as 5 goals in 15 minutes, they put APOEL Nicosia to bed while they were only halfway through their shift.
Cristiano Ronaldo woke up from a slumber and snatched a new record of having scored the most number of goals (18) in a calendar year with a well-deserved brace.
Earlier, Luka Modric had given Zizou's men the lead with a spectacular volley from 20 yards out. Karim Benzema got back on the scoresheet with a cool finish onto the side of the net before Nacho increased the lead to 3 with a simple flick-on.
Benzema added to his tally in the dying embers of the first half. Cristiano Ronaldo then scored twice-- first with his head and then with his left foot to secure all 3 points and a ticket to the knockout stages.
#5 The brace will do Karim Benzema a world of good
Much maligned at this point of the season, the French striker needed to deliver the goods and send his indecisiveness and ineptitude back into the woods. Benzema's work was cut out thanks to the quality that operates behind him.
But even then, the 29-year-old striker stayed calm and composed in front of goal when he was released through on goal by the brilliance of Toni Kroos. Benzema picked out the right corner of the netting with a sweet finish with the inside of his foot. His neat little interplay with Ronaldo for the second goal wasn't tainted with marks of a player who was going through a rough patch.
The Frenchman was tracking back to get involved in the build-up and was showing signs of reviving the form that made him one of the most bankable hitmen in Europe. It is reassuring to see him show such intent and poise as the early season purrings subside and the clock summons the champions to the table for it's business time now.
#4 APOEL's defensive line drowns in confusion and gets shredded to bits
If it was Vinicius' awkward clearance that led to the first goal, it was their indolence that led to the second as Real Madrid tore them apart down the middle with a high-octane counterattack.
The third goal went in an even worse fashion as three defenders decided to stake their claim on a corner ball that was going to end up on the head of Raphael Varane. As Varane flicked the ball into the 6-yard box, 3 APOEL defenders were cheaply taken out of the game leaving Nacho with not much to do but extend his right foot to send the ball into the back of the net.
The fourth goal came from yet another exhilarating counter. Cristiano Ronaldo did the kind of damage he does at his very best as he broke Vouros' ankles with some neat trickery before selflessly squaring it to Benzema to send it into the net without a tinge of doubt.
But APOEL's defence was only growing weaker on the knees.
Rueda left his mark on the game with a weak backpass to Perez which barely crawled its way into the box. Benzema got to it first but Perez somehow stuck a leg out to deflect it into the path of Ronaldo who shot with his left foot without thinking twice and found the unguarded net with ease.
#3 Well defined roles help stabilize Madrid
Casemiro's exclusion to make space for Asensio may have raised a couple of eyebrows before the game began. And Asensio took a while to find his feet. But the well-defined roles in midfield and attack helped bring a sense of stability to the team and 20 minutes into the game, the players had settled down and looked ready to pillage and plunder.
Kroos held the ropes in place as Modric slalomed past the blockages to constantly bug the APOEL defence. Asensio, who was floating all around the pitch was impressive and boy did he put in a shift! The youngster, while not a finished product, has the maturity and the ability to step up and deliver at times when it matters.
He was the link between the midfield and attack for most parts of the game and while his final product was lacking intermittently, he did a solid job.
The same applies to Ronaldo and Vasquez. While the latter phased in and out of the game, Ronaldo was a constant threat going forward and was involved in 4 of the goals that went in.
Toni Kroos was the architect of Benzema's first and he kept things solid at the centre. Carvajal and Marcelo had a good time in the middle. Marcelo was menacing going forward and it was he who picked out Ronaldo for the 5th goal of the match.
#2 Pote is isolated as APOEL's plan to attack down the wing falters
APOEL was set up to sit back and exploit the flanks as and when the opportunity arises. But Carvajal and Marcelo were sturdy on their respective wings and made life difficult for Aloneftis, Zahid, Sallai, Lago and Vouros.
Aloneftis tried hard and even got into crossing positions but the quality of his service was consistently poor. Set-piece delivery was awful and Casilla was hardly tested between the sticks.
Even after 3 goals had gone in, APOEL looked like a team that expected worse and weren't pressing high up the pitch or running Madrid ragged. In fact, Pote was isolated for large portions of the game, so much so, that every once in a while when he popped up, one was surprised to see he was still on the pitch.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo's brilliance on show again
The Cristiano Ronaldo of La Liga is a shadow of the Cristiano Ronaldo of the Champions League. He has become the first player to score 18 goals in the Champions League in a calendar year and boy was he on fire tonight!
Though initially tentative, Ronaldo constantly popped up in pockets of space and was involved in 4 of the 6 goals that went in. He scored 2, assisted 1 and set up another.
He is still not at his staggering best and was wasteful with his first few efforts when he kept snatching at chances. But once he put his foot down, Real Madrid started to look like the juggernaut that marauded their way to the Champions League crown last term.
Ronaldo linked up well with Asensio, Benzema and Kroos on various occasions and carved open an unsettled APOEL defence and had them for dinner.
He will, however, need to prod on in a similar vein and replicate this form in La Liga to push arch-rivals Barcelona to the limits. Fortunately, he looks like he still has a lot to offer.
