THAT IS THAT AS REAL MADRID CONFIRMS THEIR FAVOURITE STATUS WITH A COMFORTABLE WIN OVER MANCHESTER UNITED... LUKAKU WILL NEED TO MORE CLINICAL IF UNITED ARE TO CHALLENGE THE TOP SIDES, AND MOURINHO NEEDS TO DECIDE IF HE WANTS A BACK THREE OR A BACK FOUR
REAL MADRID ARE A SCARY, SCARY FOOTBALL TEAM.
THAT'S ALL FOR ME FOLKS, ANIRUDH MENON SIGNING OUT...
95' Rashford sends in another free kick that is once again headed away easily... Ronaldo then does supremely well to roll Valencia and win a freekick off the Ecuadorian. I wonder who'll take it.
94' Matic sends the ball into the box - and Ramos heads clear with absurd ease... Rashford then goes into the box as Vazquez does supremely well to draw a foul out of the frustrated United man
92' Madrid stream forward and Vazquez sends Darmian for a sandwich with a sublime swivel of his hips before picking out Asensio. The Spaniard's shot is going in before a superb save from De Gea keeps United in the game.
89' Marcelo bombs forward and tries to pick Ronaldo in the centre - but Valencia stands in his way. From the corner, Ramos sends the ball back to Iberia.
85' Sergio Ramos body-checks Paul Pogba with absolutely no intention but to stop the Frenchman in his tracks. From the freekick, Rashford tries to catch Navas out - and the Costa Rican almost carries the ball into the net!!!
84' Carvajal gets into the book for tugging on Rashford and the young man will take it from what can only be described as David Beckham territory... he sends it into Greece.
82' Real Madrid counter at supreme pace - thanks to a lovely reverse ball in the middle of the park by Asensio. Corner for Madrid and it's substitution time... Karim Benzema is taken off, and on in his stead comes CRISTIANO RONALDO!
81' OH WOW OH WOW. Darmian's long ball is controlled on his chest with typical excellence by Fellaini who then lays it off to Mkhitaryan. The Armenian slips in Rashford with a lovely ball that he tries to pass into the far corner - but Navas saves superbly
78' Fellaini is getting bandaged up like he's Tutankhamun!!! The man's got cojones, though, he'll play despite his nose having started to bleed like a leaky faucet
76' Lukaku chases a hopeful punt forward and does well to squeeze out a cross from which Rashford wins a throw-in... the ball is pinged in by Matic from which Fellaini smashes the ball into the stratosphere and Ramos's noggin. OUCH - both hard men look in considerable pain
71' Fellaini sends a lovely cross in that is cleared away by Ramos- United have a freekick that Rashford takes but Madrid clear that without much bother as well,
UNITED ARE BACK IN IT!! Nemanja Matic smashed one in and Navas can only parry it onto the path of Romelu Lukaku who this time does not miss the tap in.
60' OH LORD!! THE CROSSBAR IS STILL SINGING... GARETH BALE RUNS ONTO A SUPERB CASEMIRO THROUGH BALL BEFORE ABSOLUTELY SMACKING THE BALL ONTO THE WOODWORK. The ball bounces around and Lindelof makes sure Benzema doesn't tap it in
59' Rashford sends in a lovely little cross that is headed off Lukaku's forehead by an excellent Ramos header. Great defending from the Madrid captain, there
57' United are going to lump it long, aren't they? They do try that, but the ball bounces off Fellaini's afro - not unlike how it would bounce off a banyan tree - and Madrid have the ball yet again
55' Real Madrid are toying with the opposition right now as they ping it around with supreme ease... United make a substitution as Marouane Fellaini is thrown on for Ander Herrera.
53' HOW! HOW! HOW! Valencia pinged in a lovely ball that found Pogba in the middle of the box ALL FREE but the Frenchman heads it straight at Navas... the ball drops to Lukaku - who proceeds to smash the ball straight into the stratosphere from four yards. Even Alexander the Great is laughing in his grave
OH WOW. JUST WOW. OH WOW. Isco and Bale play a lovely one-two that CARVES United apart with the ease of a steaming hot knife going through melting butter... before Isco passes it into the back of the net. LOVELY, LOVELY, GOAL.
51' Bale and Marcelo are pinning United back before the left back sends one into the box that's calmly headed away by Matic. United then proceed to lose the ball with a careless pass. United have been sloppy on many an occasion tonight.
48' OH!! LOVELY, LOVELY BALL FROM POGBA SENDS RASHFORD screaming into the 2nd half, but Casemiro does just what's required to make sure he can't slip in LUkaku. Lovely stuff from the underrated Brazilian.
47' OH!!!! TONI KROOS HAS A GO WITH HIS LEFT FOOT... but De Gea does supremely well to palm it away... Madrid win a succession of corners after MArcelo's shot is deflected off Smalling.
46' Modric plays an absolutely lovely ball straight out to Benzema - and the Frenchman squares it into the box, lovely little ball, but Smalling makes sure Bale can't get a shot away
Akash Mishra has chimed in with - "Getting a bit frustrated over choosing loyalty tonight which is just because of that one guy... Man utd is the first crush while Real Madrid is the love lady!! Already feeling nostalgic about Ronaldo playing against utd!!!"
Well, you support only ONE club, my man. Best enjoy this as a neutral, I guess!
Well, Shankar, Manchester United would have been happy with a 0-0 at halftime, and if not for that goal (offside, wasn't it) it might have been. They've conceded the wings; surprisingly, and Real Madrid have dominated the possession. United have had a few great chances and they've not been too shabby when they have moved forward...
As for Ronaldo, I'd always start him: but with two clasicos coming up over the next week, this might be the ideal situation for him and Madrid. Zidane has shown the world he knows best doesn't he.
The ref blows his whistle to bring to close a rather entertaining first 45 in Skopje... the second half promises to be interesting; especially if Marcus Rashford comes on sooner rather than later
44' Mkhitaryan tries to ping it into Lukaku but the two are on different wavelengths. Pogba charges back to win the ball back with a superb tackle and United come forward again...
43' Modric steams into the box but Matic wins that foot race, the ball squeezes out to Benzema who smashes it at goal - but De Gea saves. If only that fax machine was working in 2015...
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