The top 5 moments of 2020 for Real Madrid

4) Sloppy UEFA Champions League group stage

Real Madrid are the kings of Europe. They have been crowned champions a record 13 times. They have hardly struggled in the group stage of this competition. But this season was a different story. Real Madrid did qualify for the knockouts, but it was anything but smooth sailing for the team. Real were on the verge of either finishing third in the group or getting eliminated from the group stage.

The group looked pretty easy on paper. But teams like Shakhtar Donetsk and Borussia Mönchengladbach gave Madrid a tough time. Real lost both their games against Shakhtar. They won both games against Inter. They drew away at Mönchengladbach in the dying moments of the game, thanks to the goals from Benzema and Casemiro. Each point was a must to qualify for the next round of the Champions League.

Real Made secured their place in the Round of 16 on the last matchday of the group stage against Mönchengladbach with a 2-0 victory. That game was one-sided. Real Madrid simply ran the opposition ragged. Real luckily ended up topping the group with 10 points as Shakhtar and Inter played out a stalemate.

I’m glad we made it into the next round. It’s impossible to imagine Los Blancos playing in Europa League or getting eliminated in the group. It would have been a bigger embarrassment than FC Barcelona’s 8-2 drubbing at the hands of Bayern a few months ago.