Real Madrid have thumped 10-man Ludogorets Razgrad 4-0 in the Champions League tonight for a record 19th straight win in all competitions.
Marcelinho was red-carded after just 19 minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Cristiano Ronaldo slotting the resulting penalty.
Gareth Bale added a second before the break, while Alvaro Arbeloa and Alvaro Medran completed the scoring in a lethargic second-half display from the Blancos.
The victory saw Madrid usurp El Clasico rivals Barcelona by snatching the Spanish record for consecutive wins, while also finishing Group B with a 100% record.
Here, Sports Mole analyses how Real went about it on a record-breaking night in the Spanish capital.
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Match statistics
REAL MADRID
Shots: 12
On target: 4
Possession: 62%
Corners: 17
Fouls: 8
LUDOGORETS RAZGRAD
Shots: 7
On target: 3
Possession: 38%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 8
Was the result fair?
The result? Undoubtedly. The scoreline? Not so much. It was a very gutsy performance from Ludogorets and the visitors can feel a little hard done by to leave the Spanish capital with a 4-0 defeat.
They faced up an uphill challenge after going down to 10 men with just 19 minutes played, but they will have won a lot of admirers for the way in which they carried on fighting after the dismissal, with the performance of Vladislav Stoyanov, along with their defending, among the highlights for the Bulgarians.
Real Madrid's performance
Carlo Ancelotti's side were in control of this one from the first minute to the last but they laboured to their 4-0 win in the end. They thoroughly deserved their 2-0 half-time lead but they found themselves frustrated for large spells in the second half and needed two slices of luck to earn what looks a very flattering win on paper.
Alvaro Arbeloa added a third, with the official behind the goal asserting himself to claim that the Spaniard's shot had crossed the line, but replays were not quite as conclusive, while second-half substitute Alvaro Medran compounded Ludogorets's misery late on by adding a fourth via a huge deflection.
In truth the dismissal of Marcelinho after 19 minutes looked to have affected Real Madrid more than Ludogorets, with the red card almost giving the hosts a reason to drop down a gear or two, while the visitors stuck to their counter-attacking gameplan. Thoroughly deserved win - their 19th in a row - but the manner of victory was nowhere near as straightforward as the scoreline suggests.
Ludogorets Razgrad's performance
They came into the clash with a mountain to climb by virtue of Real Madrid's 18-game winning streak, but their task grew far tougher on 19 minutes when Marcelinho inexplicably handled on the line to earn himself a red card, with Ronaldo converting the resulting penalty.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Ludogorets, who had been in the game 11 vs. 11, carried on in the same vein to their credit, continuing to employ a counter-attacking style when it would have been easier to camp in their own half for damage limitation. However, their bravery yielded little reward and Bale headed the hosts into a two-goal lead seven minutes before half time.
Unperturbed, they still looked dangerous in the second half, while doing brilliantly to restrict free-scoring Madrid at the other end. Overall it was a very gutsy performance from a team who can take a huge amount of heart for how they have played in the competition this season.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Vladislav Stoyanov: The Ludogorets keeper was far and away the stand-out candidate for man of the match tonight. If Real were deemed to be slightly wasteful in front of goal it was because Stoyanov single-handedly kept them out time and time again. He was absolutely brilliant and perhaps can feel unlucky with the number of goals that he conceded - but none were a reflection on him. Excellent performance.
Biggest gaffe
Marcelinho should be kicking himself after earning a cheap red card on 19 minutes to effectively end Ludogorets's faint hopes of leaving Madrid with a result tonight.
Georgi Dermendzhiev's side were very much in the game up until that point, forcing Keylor Navas into two important saves, but their early labours were rendered meaningless after the Brazilian was sent off for handling Raphael Varane's header on the line.
Granted, earning a result away to the modern-day Real Madrid is a mountainous task for any side, let alone the Bulgarian champions, but we knew there would be no miracle after Marcelinho's moment of stupidity.
Referee performance
It was only Clement Turpin's fourth ever Champions League outing, but you would not have known that by virtue of a excellent performance from the Frenchman. The big moment came on 19 minutes when Turpin was eagle-eyed to spot Marcelinho's handball before correctly dismissing the Brazilian. There were no other contentious decisions in what was a very fine refereeing performance overall.
What next?
Real Madrid: Ancelotti's side face Almeria on Friday night before the European champions fly to Morocco for the World Club Cup.
Ludogorets Razgrad: Ludogorets - second in Bulgaria's top flight - resume league commitments on Sunday morning by hosting Botev Plovdiv.
Shane Callaghan
