Real Madrid got the three points from José Alvalade after beating (1-2) Sporting Lisbon in the fifth game of the Champions League group stage. Los Blancos qualify into the Last 16 of the competition again and will fight with Borussia Dortmund for the first position of the group. The German side thrashed (8-4) Legia Warsaw in the game with more goals in the history of the Champions League.
Zidane decided to start the game with the same players who beat Atlético Madrid only three days ago. Only Sergio Ramos came in and Nacho stayed in the bench. It looked like a good decision because Real Madrid controlled the game in the first half. Sporting also arrived to Keylor Navas’ goal often but couldn’t beat the Costa Rican. Sergio Ramos also made some mistakes, especially in the first half. It was another full back, in this case, Raphael Varane, the one who opened the score after a free kick from Luka Modric in the 29th minute.
Sporting were eliminated of the Champions League with this result and they pushed a lot in the second half. Jorge Jesus side missed many chances and Real Madrid were very pressed and they only could defend. This time Isco wasn’t the player we saw at Vicente Calderón. However, it looked easier for Real Madrid when Joao Pereira was sent off in the 64th minute after an action with Kovacic.
Real Madrid didn’t control the game despite they were playing with one extra footballer and the goal for Sporting Portugal arrived in the 80th minute. Fabio Coentrao, who entered for Marcelo, made an absurd penalty for handball. Adrien Silva didn’t miss the chance. The game was still very opened because the Portuguese team needed a second goal to have options to qualify for the Champions League Last 16. But Real Madrid scored again in the last minutes of the game. This time was Karim Benzema, who found the net after a header and a great cross from Sergio Ramos.
Real Madrid are again in the Last 16 round although it wasn’t a brilliant performance. Sporting played really well both games against Real Madrid but they got unlucky in the last minutes. Now, Borussia Dortmund awaits to see which team will lead the group.
