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Real Madrid held on to win a thrilling encounter in UkraineReal Madrid weathered a late storm from Shakhtar but ultimately held on to a thrilling 4-3 victory in Donetsk to consolidate their position as leaders of group A. The visitors, inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo, went ahead after 18 minutes when the Portuguese forward headed home a Gareth Bale cross, before the turning the provider for Luka Modric for the second, after the break.The 30-year-old was then involved in the third as well, feeding Dani Carvajal on the edge of the box who fired a majestic lofting shot to make it 3-0, and bagged his brace when Bale cut in from the left for Ronaldo to strike home a close-range which initially came off the goalkeeper.With the tie over as a contest, the hosts surprisingly unleashed a late assault when a double from Alex Teixeira and another strike from Dentino put The Miners on the brink of a remarkable comeback. Los Blancos however, survived the late charge and ran out 4-3 victors in the end.Here are the five talking points from the goals-galore game in Donetsk.
#1 Rafa\'s changes does Madrid well
Following two consecutive defeats in the league including an embarrassing 4-0 loss to Barcelona in the El Clasico at home, manager Rafa Benitez’s reign plunged into troubled waters.
Despite the backing of the president, the Spanish honcho had to churn out a result to soothe his frayed nerves, and his chops and changes going into this game did help his cause, a little.
There were seven changes in the line-up that started against the Blaugrana last weekend. Pepe was thrust back into the defence, whereas Casemiro and Kovacic started in the midfield. Keylor Navas was relegated to the bench as Kiko Casilla put on the gloves ahead of him, and the likes of Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez too watched from the sideline.
Only Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo were the three biggest players to retain their position in the line-up, and together, ran the rings around Shakhtar for a large swathe of the game.
The alteration did yield some dividend as Real Madrid appeared more free-flowing and threatening, and even went 4-0 up at one point.
#2 The Madrid defence still remains a worry
The only blot from an otherwise encouraging performance was the defensive collapse by the visitors. Being the only team remaining who were yet to concede, Real Madrid looked as if the record would stay a match longer after they took a seemingly unassailable 4-0 lead, only for it to go all downhill in the final 15 minutes.
Casemiro made a clumsy challenge in the box that led to a penalty, and Alex Teixeira led the comeback from the spot. Dentino then halved the deficit when he headed in from point blank range completely unmarked during a corner, and Teixeira sent the faithfuls into absolute delirium with his second that put his side within a whisker of a memorable fight-back.
Another three goals meekly conceded, which means The Meringues have now let in 10 goals in the last 3 games. With games against Villareal and Real Sociedad still to come before the new year, the defence is something for Rafa Benitez to chew on.
#3 All-round Ronaldo
Having endured the worst start to a season since moving to the Spanish capital in 2009, Real Madrid ace Cristiano Ronaldo was having a hard time in front of the net this season.
Out of the 16 games he featured in, the former Manchester United star would find the net in only 6 games. However, Ronaldo got his shooting boots on for this tie and got back to scoring ways, besides assisting the other two strikes.
With Karim Benzema on the bench, the 30-year-old led the line for the visitors and made his presence felt early in the second quarter of the game when he was on hand to nod Bale’s cross into an unguarded net.
He then put things on a platter for Modric and Carvajal, both of whom made a meal out of it, before going for goal himself with the Welshman the provider again.
It was a convincing evening for the Portuguese as he played the biggest part in his side's win, and it should give him a much-needed zest to continue in the same vein in the coming weeks.
#4 Bale terrorises down the left
Gareth Bale made a huge statement last night after he wreaked havoc from his favoured left-flank, delivering two good crosses to Ronaldo and causing all sorts of trouble to the Shakhtar defence.
It’s a position that propelled him to the stars and after being played out of position by Ancelotti, was given a chance to prove his mettle from the left by Rafa. And he did not disappoint.
His buccaneering runs down the left wing culminated into two Cristiano Ronaldo goals and was terrorising throughout the game. Every time Bale surged towards the box, it appeared to be another goal for the Whites, and the Shakhtar defenders were run roughshod by his lightening fast speed.
Benitez had earlier expressed his desire to make Bale one of the pillars of his side and get the best out of him, and his decision to deploy him on the left side of the attacking vanguard will surely aid his motive, considering how he fared last night.
#5 Shakhtar deserve the plaudits too
With hopes of a Europa League berth all but vanquished after going 4-0 down, The Moles still refused to throw in the towel. Their valiance bore fruits in the end as they came within a hair’s breadth of pulling off a really commendable comeback draw when they drilled three in the final quarter of the match.
Having drawn alongside PSG and Real Madrid in the group, a progress to the next round was never on the cards, but the Ukrainian outfit fought hard for Europe’s second tier competition and should be extolled with their resilience that led them to a late surge into the game.
What adds more gloss to their campaign is that they had to shift between cities to play home matches due to an ongoing war at the Ukraine-Russia border, and didn’t seem too affected by it.
Real Madrid were sauntering their way to a resounding win, only for Shakhtar to gatecrash the party with three late goals.
