Match Reports: Shakhtar Donetsk 3-4 Real Madrid

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo’s trademark trick lets him down during the UCL match against Shakhtar Donetsk.

If was a historic first Champions League win for Borussia Monchen-gladbach as their 4-2 home victory against Sevilla ended the Spanish club’s hopes of reaching the knock-out phase.

A minute beyond the half hour mark Ronaldo almost scored his second goal but his header had no venom on it and Pyatov was at the right spot to catch the ball comfortably. The trolling would have been merciless if a defender would have been able to get a foot in there before the ball crossed. After racking up a clean sheet for most of the game, Real Madrid nearly gave its points away.

Perez publicly declared that the club backed Benitez, but that was before Madrid nearly blew a four-goal lead as it hung on 4-3 at Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Wednesday.

It was a tumultuous few days for Madrid on the back of 0-4 drubbing in El Clasico and a good performance was needed not only for the players but for the fans as well.

Real’s all-time record goal scorer has been consistently linked with Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain amid rumours that he is unhappy playing under Benitez.

Steven Gerrard has told ex-manager Rafa Benitez that he needs to adapt if he is to survive at Real Madrid.

“Very cleverly Real Madrid are trying to make it look like he wants to go, and that he deserves to go”, he said.

The Champions League match between Real Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk will be today, November 25, at 3:45 p.m. EST.

“We were on top in every department until we made the mistake that led to [Teixeira’s] penalty, and then they quickly scored a second and grew in confidence”.

Benitez added: “These two defeats don’t change the sensation that we have in the team – that we are learning and growing”. With a new starting eleven that included the likes of Casemiro, Kovacic, Carvajal and Nacho, Madrid lined up up with a far more sensible formation than they did on the weekend, and it showed.

In the second minute, Modric found the unmarked Ronaldo in the penalty area, but the Portuguese star fired over the crossbar. “But we will try not to rely on the individuals”.

And the Argentine admitted he was delighted to be strutting his stuff once more, saying: “I have enjoyed watching the team from the sidelines, but it’s always even better when you’re playing”.