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Karim Benzema netted two equivalent headers to safe Real Madrid a spot within the Champions League final 16 with a 2-Zero win over Borussia Moenchengladbach on Wednesday, easing the stress on coach Zinedine Zidane. Record 13-time champions Madrid began the evening in third place, susceptible to failing to qualify from the group stage for the primary time of their historical past and dropping into the Europa League, however delivered an assured efficiency on the Alfredo di Stefano stadium.
Madrid completed as group winners on 10 factors, forward of runners-up Gladbach on eight regardless of the defeat, as Shakhtar Donetsk and Inter Milan drew 0-Zero within the different Group B conflict.
President Florentino Perez was noticed within the tunnel earlier than the sport and his presence appeared to focus Madrid minds, as they placed on their greatest efficiency of the season of their most necessary sport thus far.
“It was a good game for us,” Benzema instructed Movistar. “Each match is a final and I think that if we always play how we did today, no team can hurt us.
“This was a really troublesome sport, we began it nicely and with the will to point out that we’re the most effective.”
Makeshift right-back Lucas Vazquez curled in a cross and Benzema produced a fine header to break the deadlock after just nine minutes.
Madrid kept an iron grip on the game until Gladbach forward Alassane Plea broke free but dinked wide of Thibaut Courtois’ goal.
Benzema doubled the lead with a clone of his first strike, nodding home from Rodrygo’s cross from the right in the 32nd minute.
– Nervous wait for Gladbach –
Madrid came close to adding a third from the same avenue, with Vazquez crossing for the evergreen Luka Modric, but Yann Sommer tipped his effort onto the post.
The Croatian midfielder, 35, lashed home shortly afterwards but the strike was ruled out for an offside call against Raphael Varane in the build-up.
Madrid continued to dominate after the break, looking back to their best ahead of the weekend derby clash in La Liga with Atletico Madrid.
Sommer made a brilliant save to claw out a header from Madrid captain Sergio Ramos on his return from injury, with Benzema crashing the rebound against the crossbar.
Vazquez drilled an effort against the near post as Zidane’s rampant side coasted to victory, allowing the coach some breathing room after a troubled start to the season.
Two defeats by Shakhtar Donetsk had left Madrid in a tight spot in the Champions League and their scenario was compounded by disappointing losses towards Cadiz, Valencia and Alaves in La Liga.
“The goal was to complete first and we did it,” a proud Zidane told Movistar. “We performed a spectacular sport at the moment. I believe it was our most full of the season, from minute one to the top we did very nicely.”
Gladbach created little of note and found it impossible to escape Madrid’s relentless press, showing few similarities to the side which almost shocked the Spanish champions in the 2-2 draw they shared in October.
“It’s actually superb, we performed our worst sport of the entire group stage at the moment, however we’re nonetheless via, and deservedly so,” Gladbach captain Lars Stindl instructed DAZN.
Promoted
The visiting players gathered around an electronic tablet at the end of the game to watch the final moments of Inter’s draw with Shakhtar, before they could celebrate reaching the Champions League last 16 for the first time.
“It was a wierd feeling as a result of we could not actually be joyful after our sport. We simply needed to hope, and the emotion flooded out on the finish,” Gladbach midfielder Christoph Kramer added on Sky. “We deserved to undergo, even when we had no probability towards Real Madrid.”
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