Real Madrid thrashed 0-3 against CKSA Moscow

The final match of group stage by no means went to plan as Real Madrid were humbled. Here’s a quick look at the game, with in-depth coverage to follow.

Real Madrid faced off against CSKA Moscow in Matchday 6 of the Champions League. This would also be the last fixture of the group stage for this years UCL campaign. Madrid had already secured top spot after their win against Roma, however, this performance was nothing short of dire as we slumped to another loss against CSKA in this campaign.

Madrid started the game well – largely dominating the opening 20-30 minutes, however, CSKA pounced after some porous defending from Madrid at the 37th minute. Madrid, playing a considerably inexperienced line-up, couldn’t make it count. Vinicius Jr and Asensio proving to be the most potent threats, however, Asensio fluffed his lines a few times and Benzema was poor throughout. CSKA scored a second just prior to the break after yet another defensive error, not exactly what the team needed before the break.

The second half was not much better. Bale came on for the ineffective Benzema although, his appearance garnered little help in turning the result around. Madrid continued to create but couldn’t find that killer blow – highlighted by Asensio on occasions and Isco failing to get his feet in gear when put through on goal. CSKA would go onto add a third goal to compile Madrid’s miserable night even further, the score-line may be a bit harsh but the performance warranted a loss. Even though the result doesn’t have an impact on our position, nobody would want to see Madrid get pummelled in this manner by opposition we should be beating.

Largely the team was poor, Courtois did what he could but was let down by those in front of him, Odriozola and Marcelo had good moments whilst Vallejo and Sanchez had largely forgettable performances. In midfield, Fede Valverde had a solid game whilst Llorente and Isco were poor throughout. Up front, Asensio had flashes of brilliance but his final product let him down, Benzema was also very poor, meanwhile, Vinicius Jr was our brightest attacker. His pace and tricky dribbling caused issues throughout and if it weren’t for poor finishing he could’ve had a couple of assists potentially.

However, Madrid has topped the group regardless. With a mixed bag in terms of opponent difficulty, Madrid will hopefully be in better shape in terms of competing for the UCL this season.