Highlights: Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick gives Real Madrid 4-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk

Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed a hat-trick as Real Madrid beat Shakhtar Donetsk 4-0 in the Champions League

A second-half Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick helped Real Madrid beat Shakhtar Donetsk 4-0 in their first Champions League group stage match at the Santiago Bernabeu. The hat-trick now sees the Portuguese forward ahead of Lionel Messi by three goals in the Champions League all-time highest goalscorers with 80 goals.

This is his second hat-trick of the season after he put five past Espanyol over the weekend. Messi plays his first game tonight as Barcelona take on AS Roma.

Karim Benzema opened the scoring in the 30th minute after a horrendous goalkeeping error. Isco had crossed the ball in from the left flank and Andriy Pyatov looked to have caught the ball near the penalty spot. But he fumbled with the ball while trying to catch it and fell to the ground, allowing Benzema to recover quickly and score with a shot into an empty net.

Madrid suffered a blow when Gareth Bale had to come off in the 32nd minute and was replaced by Mateo Kovacic. The Welshman suffered a calf injury which led to the substitution. The game also saw both Madrid defender Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos come off after getting a knock with Pepe and Nacho replacing them.

Ronaldo scored his frist two goals from the penalty spot – both given for handballs in the box. The first handball was committed by Darijo Srna while the second penalty was conceded by Marcio Azevedo. Though the first penalty call was a little harsh after replays showed the ball had hit Srna’s back, there was no question about the second.

The 30-year-old Portuguese star had no problems dispatching both penalties to the right of the goalkeeper. He finally completed his hat-trick in the 81st minute when Marcelo’s long range effort was parried away, only for Ronaldo to head in the rebound from a few yards outside the six-yard box.