Real Madrid got back to the victory and extended their unbeaten run in all competitions. Madridistas overcame Shakhtar Donetsk after dominating the clash from start to finish to extend their lead at the top of Group F. The Madridistas, who made it three wins from three in the Champions League, now have a five-point lead over the Ukrainians, who sit in second place, with three games to play. The result means Carlo Ancelotti's men now have one foot in the knockout phase.
The match started with a minute of silence that was held at the Santiago Bernabéu in front of the fans of Real Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk in memory of those who lost their lives in the tragedy at the Kanjuruhan stadium on the island of Java (Indonesia). The players of both teams wore black armbands during the game.
Real Madrid clearly dominated the game and had opportunities to make the difference in the final result bigger but luck was not on their side. The hosts set themselves on course for the victory with a fine first-half performance, which saw Rodrygo and Vini Jr. get their names on the scoresheet. Before the end of the 1st half Shakhtar reduced the deficit with Zubkov, but that would be their only goal. The second half remained goalless, despite the number of chances carved out by Ancelotti’s men.
The Whites went into the game in the knowledge that it was important to take home all three points and they applied the pressure early on in the clash. Valverde went close in the 10th minute when his volley was well caught by Trubin. Three minutes later, Rodrygo opened the scoring when his shot from the edge of the area found its way into the back of the net.
Madrid continued to throw everything at Shakhtar and almost doubled their lead on 25’ when Benzema’s header from inside the six-yard box forced the visiting keeper into a smart save. On the half-hour mark, a dazzling team move involving five players - Vini Jr., Valverde, Benzema, Rodrygo and Tchouameni – ended with Vini Jr., firing superbly past the keeper to make it 2-0. Bohdan Mykhaylichenko's cross from the left found its way to Zubkov, who managed to guide the ball home with his shin to create the illusion of a reopened game.
Real Madrid began the second half like a team keen to put the match to bed as soon as possible, but Shakhtar managed to hold on after some early attempts by Eder Militao and Vinicius. The second half got off to a similar start. Valverde tried his luck in the 52nd minute with a well-struck shot from the edge of the area which Trubin saved with his fists. Rodrygo had a good chance in the 64th minute after a lovely interplay with Benzema. The Brazilian's left-footed shot from inside the area was kept out by a fine save from the Ukrainian goalkeeper. To that point Shakhtar was still trying to get themselves into the game but Real Madrid seemed to strong.
On the remaining minutes Shakhtar failed to mount any serious threat on goal, allowing the home side to see out the remaining minutes with relative ease trying to deepen their lead. Vini Jr. could have scored in the 81st minute, but his curling effort ended up in Trubin's hands. Benzema also had a good chance in the 88th minute when his effort from the edge of the area narrowly missed the target, and a minute later he shot low and forced the goalkeeper into a save. Asensio hit the post in stoppage time from a quick counter-attack set up by Benzema. The third win in as many Champions League games.
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