It was the beginning of the UEFA Champions’ League group stage as the reigning European champions hosted FC Basel. Both teams were looking to win their first three points of the competition to go ahead in their group. Real Madrid went with their usual 4-3-3 formation while FC Basel went with a 3-4-2-1 formation to provide a bit more edge in their attack.
FC Basel had a shooting opportunity on the 5th minute but the shot went straight into Iker Casillas’ hands. The first corner kick of the match went to Real Madrid where James Rodriguez crossed it which led to a terrible shot from the Portuguese man, Pepe. FC Basel’s Tomas Vaclik wasn’t afraid to come out to win the ball from a cross from James Rodriguez to let his teammates know that he is covering their goal. Real Madrid scores on a own goal on the 14th minute after James gave a wonderful back heel pass to Nacho who put in a shot that was deflected by the FC Basel defender into the back of the net. Nacho was the only change in the Real Madrid starting lineup.
Luca Modric had a powerful strike on the 25th minute but was denied by Tomas Vaclik. Save after save for The FC Basel goalkeeper as he had a goal line save from a header from Pepe on the 27th minute. An excellent pass from Luca Modric helped Gareth Bale chip the goalkeeper to score the second goal for Real Madrid on the 30th minute. The announcers were right when they said, “don’t blink or you’ll miss it,” as Cristiano Ronaldo put in the third goal of the match from a wonderful low cross from Gareth Bale on the 31st minute.
James Rodriguez scores his first goal for his new club as Cristiano Ronaldo decided to pass the ball to Karim Benzema who tried a shot onto the goal which was blocked by Tomas Vaclik . James was there ready to put in the ball that was deflected straight to him on the 37th minute. FC Basel didn’t want Iker Casillas to leave the match thinking he had a clean sheet as Derlis Gonzalez scored the first goal for FC Basel on the 38th minute. The first half ended with Real Madrid beating FC Basel 4-1.
The first yellow card of the match came on the 55th minute as FC Basel’s Mohamed Elneny dropped James from behind right outside his own 18-yard box. FC Basel improved their pressure in the second half as they managed to get closer to Real Madrid’s goal at the start of the second half. Another yellow card for FC Basel went to Walter Samuel on the 60th minute after he dropped Marcelo right on the edge of the 18-yard box. Sergio Ramos managed to send that free kick way over the cross bar.
The first substitution of the match had Walter Samuel replaced by Yoichiro Kakitani on the 64th minute. The first substitution for Real Madrid had Raphael varane come on for Sergio Ramos to provide to fresh legs in the Galactico’s defense. Varane almost gave a goal away on the 67th as his attempt to header the ball back to Casillas led to a small break away for FC Basel but Casillas was there to prevent another ball from going into his back of the net. Bale came close to scoring on the 72nd minute but his opportunity was blocked by Tomas Vaclik. Two substitutions came on together as Luca Modric came off for Illarramendi while Marco Streller was replaced by Breel Embolo on the 73rd minute.
A 4-1 lead wasn’t enough for Real Madrid as a one touch play between Benzema and Ronaldo led to Benzema hammering in the fifth goal for Real Madrid. The substitution that the fans were waiting for happened on the 82nd minute as Javier Hernandez came on for Karim Benzema. Fabien Frei came off for Matias Delgado on the 83rd minute as the final substitution of the match. After a tough challenge from Pepe on the 85th minute, the referee brought out the yellow card for the Portuguese defender.
A yellow card for Taulant Xhaka came on the 91st minute as he wasn’t at the required distance from the ball when he blocked a pass after he fouled Ronaldo. The match ended with Real Madrid beating FC Basel 5-1 as Cristiano Ronaldo edges closer to breaking Raul’s UEFA Champions League goal scoring record. Great performances from Nacho as he made excellent runs and crosses throughout the game. Pepe also had an excellent game as he helped prevent some dangerous opportunities that would’ve led FC Basel to possibly equalizing the game. Breel Embolo and Derlis Gonzalez gave the Real Madrid defense a scare as they were able to break through and had some close opportunities to score. Real Madrid showed a stronger side as they have not had a great start to La Liga. Will Real Madrid continue to improve this season? How will their new signings help them in the mission to win back to back European titles?
Follow Omar on Twitter: @tw3ty6runner
Photo Credit: Doyle/Getty Images