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A brace from Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale was enough as Real Madrid cruised past Schalke 6-1 to register their biggest ever away win in the Champions League era. Here are the major talking points from the game.
#1 How many more records will Real Madrid break in this years Champions League?
This has been a record-breaking year for Real Madrid in more ways than one. They finished the group stage as the most prolific side ever with 20 goals in just six matches. They also became only the fourth team in the history of the Champions League to score at least two goals in each game, during the group stage. Their progress from that stage meant a record 17th straight-time appearance in the knock-out stage, a run that stretches back to 1997-98 season.
With the six goals scored against Schalke, they registered their biggest ever away win in the knock-out round of the Champions League and the victory was the second occasion this season that they had put six past their opponents, another Champions League record. Los Blancos are also on a run of 32 straight games in which they have scored a goal dating back to a 1-1 draw against Barcelona in the second leg of the semifinal of the 2010-11 season. In the quest for La Decima, Real Madrid have gone on a rampage and don’t be surprised if they break a few more.
#2 Can anybody stop Real Madrid?
110 goals in 40 games at a preposterous average of 2.75 goals per game, no, we are not talking about the statistics from FIFA 14, but about the current Real Madrid team. The front three of Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo already have scored 70 goals this season in all competitions and are starting to put the fear of god in the minds of the opposition.
Real Madrid are looking hungrier than ever in their quest for their 10th European crown and on the evidence of their performances so far this season, there aren’t many teams that can stop them. Their progress into the quarter-finals is a foregone conclusion and you can be sure that they will be the team that everyone will be trying to avoid.
Aside from, maybe Bayern Munich, no other team can even close to the amount of talent that Los Blancos possess, which poses the million-dollar question, can anybody stop them? Maybe, maybe not. Only time will tell.
#3 Benzema finds his feet in Europe
Such are the expectations at a club like Real Madrid that sometimes even the best is not good enough. Anybody who has seen Karim Benzema will tell you that the Frenchman is one of the best strikers in Europe. Unfortunately for Madrid, the French forward hasn’t been able to showcase it all the time.
Playing forever under the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo, the forward has been unable to break out and show the fans that he is a truly world-class center forward. This season, under Carlo Ancelotti, something seems to have changed. The forward is a lot more confident and although he has always scored goals, he has added a lot more to his game. His performance against Schalke was a testament to that.
Although he scored two goals, the Frenchman was instrumental in creating numerous clear cut chances and also finished with two assists. He is slowly starting to look like the player that was signed from Lyon and that certainly bodes well for the rest of the campaign.
#4 Ronaldo has an off-day but still manages a brace
Ever since signing for Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo has transformed himself into a ruthless goal-scoring machine. The brace against Schalke meant that he now has 11 in the current Champions League campaign and 36 in all competitions thus far. He is the leading goal scorer in Europe and is well on pace to finish with over 50 goals for the fourth-straight season.
Not only that, he now has 28 goals in knock-out phase of the competition and is just two behind Messi, who leads the chart and sits third in the all-time chart for most goals in the Champions League. The Portuguese superstar is well on his way to beating the record of most goals in a single CL campaign, which currently stands at 14 – jointly held by Lionel Messi (Barcelona) and Jose Altafini (Milan).
And just like his team, Ronaldo is doing everything to get another CL medal in his already teeming trophy cabinet.
#5 Huntelaar gives home fans something to cheer about
Far too often, fans are criticized for throwing in the towel, when their side are down and out. But, anybody who has ever watched football will tell you that, often the most amazing things, happen when you least expect it to. So, when Schalke were staring down the barrel on the biggest defeat in Europe, you could have sympathized with their fans for leaving.
But, instead of that, the home fans showed their solidarity and support by staying on and were justly rewarded for their patience. Just after Ronaldo scored Madrid’s sixth in the 89th minute, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored the best goal of the bunch and gave the home fans something to shout about. The Dutchman smashed in a sumptuous volley from just outside the box, thereby proving once again that good things come to those who are patient.
And whilst that goal might go down in history as a mere consolation, for the thousands of Schalke fans cheering their team on, that made all the difference.
