Real Madrid 2-0 Borussia Monchengladbach: 5 talking points as Los Blancos seal comfortable victory | UEFA Champions League 2020-21
A first-half brace from Karim Benzema helped Real Madrid secure a comfortable 2-0 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach at the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium.
The hosts came into this clash knowing that anything other than a victory might not be enough to secure qualification to the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds. They got off to the perfect start when their number nine put them ahead inside the opening 10 minutes.
Makeshift right-back Lucas Vasquez won possession deep in his own half and drove upfield before delivering a scintillating cross into the box for Karim Benzema to nod it.
It was exactly the start that Real Madrid needed and gave them the impetus to seize the initiative.
In what was a dominant display, Los Blancos stamped their authority on the game and got a well-deserved second goal in the 30th minute.
Some excellent link-up play between Rodrygo and Luka Modric allowed the Brazilian space to cross into the box, and Benzema was on hand to guide the ball beyond the reach of Yann Sommer in the visitors' goal.
From then on, Real Madrid totally controlled proceedings and went into cruise control, ensuring that their opponents did not get too many opportunities.
They ramped up the pressure in the final quarter of the game and forced Sommer into some decent saves, even hitting the post twice late on.
The victory guarantees Real Madrid the top spot in Group B and here, we shall be having a rundown of five talking points from the fixture.
#5 Real Madrid pass second test in season-defining week
It is common knowledge that Real Madrid started the current campaign poorly. Home and away losses to Shakhtar Donestk put the La Liga giants in real danger of exiting the UEFA Champions League at the group stage.
The story was not much different domestically, and last week's reversal in Ukraine meant that the capital side had won just one of their previous five games.
In the eternal hot-seat that is the Real Madrid manager's job, this is enough to lose your job, never mind the fact that Zinedine Zidane had guided the club to their most successful period in recent history.
Club president Florentino Perez reportedly had a meeting to decide Zidane's fate and Mauricio Pochettino, as well as club legend Raul Gonzalez, were name-dropped as potential replacements.
It was on the backdrop of this uncertainty that Real Madrid entered a week that could have had huge ramifications on their entire season.
First up was a trip to the Ramos Sanchez Pizjuan to face Sevilla, before consecutive home games against Monchengladbach and Atletico Madrid in the derby on Saturday.
Going against the form book, Real Madrid have triumphed in the first two games and passed with flying colours and this will give them added impetus to face off their city rivals who are currently on an unbeaten run of 27 matches in La Liga.
Heading into this week, Zinedine Zidane was not certain of being in a job much longer but these two wins have bought him some extra time in the Spanish capital.
#4 Despite defeat, Borussia Monchengladbach secure qualification to the knockout round
When Borussia Monchengladbach were grouped with Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk, the Germans were given an outside chance of qualifying from the group, considering the pedigree of the Spaniards and Italians.
They, however, kicked off their campaign with consecutive 2-2 draws with Inter Milan and Real Madrid, following that up with a comprehensive 10-0 aggregate whitewash of Shakhtar in their double-header.
This helped them seize the early initiative and despite narrowly losing to Inter Milan on their own turf on matchday 5, they still came to Spain with their destiny in their hands.
All they needed was a draw to secure qualification, and they would have rued their luck when Alassane Plea missed two good chances that he really should have scored.
Following their defeat, the Bundesliga lost their advantage and now relied on results elsewhere to go their way to secure qualification.
They would have been listening with bated breath for news to filter in from San Siro in the game between Inter and Shakhtar.
Ultimately, both sides played out a goalless draw in Italy, meaning that Monchengladbach finished level on points with the Ukrainians but progress by virtue of their superior head-to-head record.