'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Real Madrid comfortably saw off Levante with three unanswered goals as Cristiano Ronaldo hogged all the evening’s limelight with his record-breaking 324th goal in Blancos colours and provisionally moved atop the La Liga standings.Having gone 5 successive league games without a goal, the Portuguese finally ended the long wait for the historic moment as he struck a 25-yard stunner to surpass Raul at the top of Real Madrid’s most prolific scorers charts, after Marcelo had drawn first blood just three minutes earlier.The visitors threatened the home side’s defense early on and had a few good chances. Shotstopper Keylor Navas however, put in yet another inspiring shift in goal to deny a gritty Levante every single time, and substitute Jese Rodriguez summed up a frustrating day for the Levante contingent with a third in the final few minutes.With another three crucial points in the bag, Los Blancos now travel to the French capital for one of their toughest tests of the season when they take on Paris St.Germain in the Champions League.Here are some of the talking points the game served up.
#1 History-maker Ronaldo
The moment that the Portuguese longed for ever since he made the astronomical £80 million move from Manchester United, finally arrived. The strapping forward volleyed a blistering shot into the net from outside the box, and etched his name in gold for eternity in the history books of Real Madrid.
The record was never really a subject of debate, with the winger bagging 33 goals in his debut campaign to set the tone for the rest of his career. With an average of over 40 goals in subsequent seasons, Ronaldo cantered towards the record headlong, and finally made it his own, today, just a little over six years since the date of his debut.
Ronaldo made or broke umpteen records in his Real Madrid career thus far, repaying every penny that the club splurged in his pursuit, but the defining moment was however, overtaking the club icon Raul as the club’s greatest ever goal scorer.
Indeed, the history-making 30-year old adds another feather to his already glittering cap.
#2 Navas continues to deliver
When the defense fell short, he stood tall. No matter what was thrown at him, he never lost his ground and performed to the optimum every time. Such has been Real Madrid’s shot-stopper Keylor Navas’ form this season. The Costa Rican has been perhaps, the only player to have truly shone from day 1 and pulled off another blinder under Saturday night lights against his former side.
Navas was at the tip of his toes, making reflex saves to deny a spirited Levante early on, and was commanding inside the area throughout the game. Real’s defense, that has been breached only twice in the league thus far, appeared shaky here and The Frogs tried to make the most of it when they bombed into the box relentlessly in the opening half.
However, there, they bumped into a familiar face in Navas, who indefatigably kept them out and registered a staggering 8th clean-sheet in 10 appearances in all competitions this term.
#3 Levante\'s flat-back five fall short
With five men shielding the net, Levante were able to frustrate Barcelona for a good 45 minutes at the Camp Nou a couple of weeks ago, although their resilience came off in the second half and they ended up conceding four by the full-time whistle. Manager Lucas Alcaraz unsurprisingly, opted for the same system in his side’s Bernabeu visit with the intent of choking the mighty hosts, and appeared triumphant in his stratagem for the first 25 minutes of the game when it stifled Real’s stike force.
But just like we saw in Barcelona, they once again failed to maintain the intensity till the 90th minute as Marcelo pounced on an error by the Levante defense to break open the deadlock, before Ronaldo doubled the tally after another similar mistake by the visitors.
The five-man defense makes for a formidable line-up on paper, but to produce equally good results, it should transcend beyond the team-sheet, onto the field.
#4 Rafa\'s tactical tweak
With striker Karim Benzema picking up a knock during an international outing that ruled him out of the clash, Rafael Benitez was in for some changes. Abstaining from the preferred 4-3-3, the Spanish boss opted to deploy both Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale upfront to lead the line in a two-pronged attack.
While the Welshman was busy trying to create opportunities, Ronaldo played the finisher as always. With an all-important PSG clash in mind, Benitez subbed Bale off at half time and brought on Jese Rodriguez to avoid any first-team casualty to the already growing list, though Ronaldo was given the green signal to continue despite suffering a minor knock at the end of the first half.
Jese was promising in the three-quarter of an hour handed to him, and capped off the evening with a goal towards the end. Ronaldo, meanwhile, appeared more of a natural centre-forward than he has done in the past on a few occasions.
The trick accentuates Rafa’s sublime tactical nous and ability to cope at the time of crisis.
#5 Won\'t be as easy against PSG
Levante weren’t ever going to pick up a point from this game, were they? The tactical change implemented by Benitez was a smart move, but it was Levante after all and the question remains whether it can reap dividends against the might of Paris St.Germain. The French champions are a different proposition from the Valencia outfit altogether, and it won’t be plain-sailing for the Whites when they take to the field in Paris.
Ronaldo seemed to lose the verve a bit in the second half after the minor jolt he suffered at the end of first half, but needs to conjure his A1 game for the high-profile Champions League tie. Gareth Bale was decent since returning to the line-up for the first time in nearly a month, but has to do better to have a say in the proceedings against Zlatan and Co.
Midfield engine Luka Modric will miss out for a considerable time, whereas further back, Sergio Ramos and Pepe are unlikely to feature. It’s not the ideal situation for the manager who needs the best he can get for the upcoming Champions League game.
