Introduction
The fantasy club, the history boys, Real Madrid. The UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE has been the competition of the Royal Whites. They have won it more times than any other club. It was a shaky season for Real Madrid, there was a prospect of the club of the century to play in the Europa League which is second to the premier competition of Europe. Only a victory against opposition Borussia Monchengladbach would have guaranteed qualification to the next round. As it looked very difficult on the paper proved an easy task on the pitch.
Build up
Real Madrid defeated Monchengladbach 2-0 to ensure qualification to the Round of 16 of the Champions League. Karim Benzema was the architect of victory. The situation in Group B was an interesting one as all 4 teams could have qualified based on the last matchday results. But it was Gladbach and Madrid that cruised through.
STARTING LINE-UP
Real Madrid
GK – Courtois
Defense – Lucas Vázquez , Varane, Nacho, Mendy
Midfield – Casemiro, Kroos, Modric
Attack – Rodrygo, Benzema Vinicius.
Monchengladbach
GK- Sommer
Defense -Wendt, Elvedi, Ginter, Lainer
Midfield – Neuhaus Kramer
Attack – Thuram Stindi Plea
Forward- Emobolo
First Half
The fast half was all Real Madrid, who controlled the game and scored two goals. Both the goals scored by Real Madrid were similar to each other barring the provider. They took the lead after just nine minutes when Benzema scored from Lucas Vazquez’s cross. It was 2-0 on 31 minutes with Benzema again scoring via a header, this time from a Rodrygo assist.
Second Half
The summary of the second hald can be penned as missed chances for Real who could have scored 4 or 5 if not for a mix of poor finishing and bad luck. Karim Benzema and Modric squandered some easy chances but the burden of praise for that falls on the Gladbach keeper Yan Sommer, who was like a proud captain of a drowning ship. Stopping some certain goals.
Going forward Monchengladbach was dismal and surely Real Madrid would have expected a bit more urgency and quality from the German Side but it did not happen. The midfield trio of Kroos, Casemiro, and Modric controlled the game and reminded the real fans of the good old days.
Conclusion
But in the bigger run of things, this situation was something that’s not expected from the record holders. Qualification in the next round is considered a formality but this time it was a lot more than that. The result will boost the players for the Derby against high-flying Atletico Madrid next week.
