Cristiano Ronaldo scored yet another hat-trick as Real Madrid opened their Champions League Group A campaign with a 4-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday.
Los Blancos led 1-0 at the interval courtesy of a 30th-minute effort from Karim Benzema.
Shakhtar started the second half on the front foot, but their task became harder when Taras Stepanenko was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 50th minute.
Ronaldo scored a second for the hosts from the penalty spot five minutes after the red card, before adding another from the spot in the 63rd minute.
Ronaldo then completed his treble in the 81st minute to make it a miserable night for Shakhtar.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action at the Bernabeu.
Match statistics
REAL MADRID
Shots: 25
On target: 9
Possession: 50%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 14
SHAKHTAR
Shots: 5
On target: 1
Possession: 50%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 10
Was the result fair?
Even the most ardent of Shakhtar supporters would find it difficult to make a case for their team in Madrid. One look at the statistics shows that Real Madrid were dominant in most of the major areas, which is an indication of what occurred at the Bernabeu. A four-goal separation is perhaps a little harsh on the visitors, who were more than in the game at 1-0, but they simply fell apart in the second period after going down to 10 men in the 50th minute of action.
The fact that Real Madrid were a little wasteful with their shooting and still managed to score four goals does not bode too well for Shakhtar, but two of those came from the penalty spot, at least one of which was a poor call. The Ukrainian runners-up only had one attempt on target during the entirety of the match, however, which is just not good enough to deserve anything other than a defeat. It did seem the type of game that was heading for a routine 2-0 home win, but in the end, Real Madrid, and Ronaldo in particular, managed to continue their excellent run of form in front of goal.
Real Madrid's performance
Having opened with a disappointing goalless draw at Sporting Gijon, Real Madrid entered this match having won their last two in La Liga - scoring 11 times and not conceding a single goal. The XI that Rafael Benitez selected to start brought few surprises, with Isco once again keeping his spot due to James Rodriguez's injury. It was once again Gareth Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo in the final third, but it proved a frustrating night for the former, who lasted barely 31 minutes after picking up a calf problem. Bale had left the field when Real Madrid opened the scoring and it was a fortuitous goal to say the least as Benzema tapped home from close range following a poor mistake from Andriy Pyatov. That said, Benzema had missed an excellent chance in the 14th minute - somehow firing over in front of an open goal. After taking the lead, however, the home side never really looked back as they went on to control the fixture in Madrid.
Benitez's side were a little untidy in the early stages of the second period, which is credit to Shakhtar, but the away side's task became even harder in the 50th minute when Stepanenko was given his marching orders for a poor challenge on Sergio Ramos, who would later leave in Los Blancos' third enforced change of the night. The 15-minute spell that followed decided the match as Ronaldo scored twice from the penalty spot. The award of the first was extremely harsh on Shakhtar, with Darijo Srna penalised for handball when it seemed to hit his back. The second was also contentious, with Marcio Azevedo also adjudged to have handled inside the box. At 3-0, the game was over, but Los Blancos continued to threaten and scored a fourth in the 81st minute when Ronaldo headed home from close range. There were a few moments when Shakhtar caused concern in the final third, but as far as games go at this level, it was just about as comfortable as Benitez would have ever imagined. The Spanish giants will once again be a force.
Shakhtar's performance
Shakhtar would have entered this match full of confidence following a strong start to their domestic season, but if they are to make it out of a group that also includes Paris Saint-Germain, then their performance levels will need to improve. The Ukrainian side actually started the game quite well, with Alex Teixeira and Taison causing problems with their pace and movement in the final third. Indeed, the away side's intent was shown by the fact that full-backs Srna and Azevedo were almost playing as wingers. They conceded a poor first goal, however, with Pyatov making a mess of an Isco cross, which allowed Benzema to finish from close range. The first 45 minutes was far from disastrous, however, and head coach Mircea Lucescu would have seen reasons to be optimistic ahead of the second period. As mentioned, their hopes of getting back into the game were seriously damaged when Stepanenko picked up a second yellow card.
The award of the two penalties, however, were harsh. Srna was penalised for handball when it clearly hit his back, before Azevedo was also adjudged to have handled, which again was harsh. Just past the hour, Shakhtar were 3-0 down and from that moment forward it was always going to be a damage limitation exercise. They just never really recovered from going down to 10 men and in truth, it could have been much worse had Real Madrid taken more of their chances in the second period. Eventually it did become 4-0 when Ronaldo completed his treble, but whether or not Shakhtar qualify from this section was never going to depend on this first game. Strong results at home will be vital to their chances of finishing in the top two positions and they will have the chance to put it right at home to PSG next time out.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Cristiano Ronaldo: This is not a difficult decision. Yet another hat-trick for the 30-year-old has moved him onto 80 Champions League goals, which is three clear of Lionel Messi. Two of the Portuguese's strikes came from the penalty spot, but he was a menace all night, with Shakhtar simply unable to cope. Following on from his five-star showing at the weekend, Ronaldo now has eight goals in his last two games for the Spanish giants.
Biggest gaffe
There are a number of incidents that could be picked out here, with Stepanenko's decision to fly into a challenge while on a yellow card high up the list. The first serious mistake of the match occurred in the 30th minute, however, when the away side's goalkeeper Pyatov made a mess of a tame cross from Isco, which allowed Benzema to convert from close range. Up until that point, Shakhtar had been well in the game at the Bernabeu, which would have made the mistake even more difficult for Lucescu to take.
Referee performance
Unfortunately, referee Ivan Bebek was at the heart of two poor penalty calls this evening. It is understandable why the Croatian gave the second, but the first one for a Srna handball when it clearly hit the defender's back was very poor indeed. In total, Bebek issued five yellow cards - all of which came to the visitors, who might feel that a number of key decisions went against them.
What next?
Real Madrid: Los Blancos return to La Liga action at home to Granada on Saturday. Their next Champions League group match is away to Malaga on September 30.
Shakhtar: The Ukrainian side return to domestic action at home to Stal Dniprodzerzhynsk on Saturday. Their next Champions League match is also on September 30, when they will host Paris Saint-Germain.
Matt Law
