There were contrasting fortunes for the two Madrid and La Liga sides in action in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday evening as one side got a victory away from home while the other lost at home.
David Alaba, Toni Kroos, and Karim Benzema were all on target as Real Madrid got their revenge against Sheriff Tiraspol in Moldova with a 3-0 victory.
After a shocking 2-1 loss in the first leg, Carlo Ancelotti’s side quickly put to rest any thoughts of a possible upset as David Alaba opened the scoring in the 35th minute of the first half, just before half-time Toni Kroos made it 2-0, while Karim Benzema wrapped up the scoring with the third goal of the night 10 minutes after the restart.
The results revealed qualifiers for the next round from the group as Real Madrid and Inter Milan both secured a round of 16 spots. However, both teams will face each other at the Santiago Bernabeu on the last matchday to determine who tops the group between the Spaniards and Italians.
Already, Sheriff Tiraspol, the Moldovan champions, are confirmed for the Europa League spot, but they cannot meet up with inter Milan for the second position in the group.
Atletico Madrid will have it all to play for in their final group game of the Champions League when they travel to Portugal to face Porto. Diego Simeone’s side are on the risk of losing out on both the round of 16 spots in the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League spot for the third-placed teams, after losing 1-0 to a late strike against AC Milan on Wednesday evening.
The results roots the La Liga champions to the bottom of the table with four points, the same as AC Milan, who has a better goal difference. However, they can still finish second as Porto are just a point above, and a victory on the last matchday would seal second place unless AC Milan beats Liverpool.
Written by: Daniel Ademiju Idowu