The somewhat unexpected losses to Milan and especially Lille put them in a difficult position, making them worry about their qualification for the next round as the first phase of the Champions League drew to a close. However, it was unrealistic to expect a giant like Real Madrid, European champions no less, to simply relinquish their crown. That won’t happen, at least not after the first part of the tournament. The Madrid team, in the penultimate, seventh round of the prestigious European competition, smashed Salzburg 5-1 (2-0) at home, securing their place in the knockout phase ahead of the final 90 minutes.🏁 @RealMadrid 5-1 @RedBullSalzburg⚽ 23′ @RodrygoGoes⚽ 34′ @RodrygoGoes⚽ 48′ @KMbappe⚽ 55′ @ViniJr⚽ 77′ @ViniJr⚽ 85′ Bidstrup pic.twitter.com/xEBTTTrV5e— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) January 22, 2025 Carlo Ancelotti didn’t underestimate one of the worst teams in the Champions League this season by all parameters. He understood the seriousness of the situation and fielded his strongest possible lineup at Santiago Bernabeu, which was also highly offensive, led by Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, and Kylian Mbappe. The trio once again proved that they are increasingly understanding each other on the field. Each of them scored, with the Brazilian duo netting twice, and along the way, each of them achieved a personal milestone. Vinicius reached his 100th goal for the Madrid club, Mbappe surpassed his fellow countryman Thierry Henry (51-50) in Champions League goals (only Karim Benzema remains ahead of him with 90), while Rodrygo “overtook” Amancio and Santillana (both with 21) in terms of goals for the Royal Club in the elite European competition.⚠️ | QUICK STATAfter a 4–1 win over Espanyol in September and a 3–0 win over Pachuca in December, tonight is the third time that Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo have all scored in the same match for Real Madrid. 🔥Is there a better front three in football? 🤔#UCL pic.twitter.com/Ob4TUxpmw0— Sofascore Football (@SofascoreINT) January 22, 2025 Rodrygo was the key player in ensuring that Real Madrid easily secured the win, as he scored two goals in the first half within an 11-minute span, knocking out Salzburg. Both times, he was assisted by Jude Bellingham, with the second assist becoming the highlight of the match. Rodrygo played a one-two with the English midfielder, who returned the pass with a backheel, allowing the 24-year-old to curl the ball into the far corner. Real decisively broke Salzburg’s resistance early in the first half when Mbappe punished Salzburg goalkeeper Janis Blaswich’s careless play. Later, Vinicius Junior took over and danced the samba, scoring two goals in the second half. However, the Brazilian forward’s yellow card for simulation in the first half means he will miss the final match against Brest.Mads Bidstrup appreciation post 👏 pic.twitter.com/29EtY7bjgF— FC Red Bull Salzburg EN (@FCRBS_en) January 22, 2025 Salzburg managed to pull one back through Mads Bidstrup’s goal, but that late strike could prove very costly for Real. Mathematically, Real Madrid can still make it into the top 8, but out of the five teams with 12 points, two currently have a better goal difference than them (Dortmund +8, Bayern +6).UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ROUND 7TuesdayMonaco – Aston Villa 1-0 (1-0)/Singo 8/Atalanta – Sturm Graz 5-0 (1-0)/Retegui 12, Pasalic 58, De Ketelaere 63, Lookman 90, Brescianini 90+5/Atletico Madrid – Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 (0-1)/Alvarez 52, 90 – Hincapie 45+1/Benfica – Barcelona 4-5 (3-1)/Pavlidis 2, 22, 30 pen, Araujo 68 og – Lewandowski 13 pen, 78 pen, Raphinha 64, 90+6, Garcia 86/Bologna – Borussia Dortmund 2-1 (0-1)/Dallinga 71, Junior 72 – Guirassy 15 pen/Club Brugge – Juventus 0-0Crvena zvezda – PSV 2-3 (0-3)/Ndiaye 71, Djiga 78 – De Jong 17, Til 23, Flamingo 43/Liverpool – Lille 2-1 (1-0)/Salah 34, Elliot 67 – David 62/Slovan Bratislava – Stuttgart 1-3 (0-2)/Metsoko 85 – Leweling 11,34, Rieder 87/WednesdayLeipzig – Sporting 2-1 (1-0)/Sesko 19, Poulsen 78 – Gyokeres 75/Shakhtar – Brest 2-0 (2-0)/Kevin 18, Sudakov 37/Sparta Praha – Inter 0-1 (0-1)/Martinez 12/Arsenal – Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 (1-0)/Rice 2, Havertz 66, Odegaard 90+1/Celtic – Young Boys 1-0 (0-0)/Benito (og) 86/Feyenoord – Bayern 3-0 (2-0)/Gimenez 21, 45+9 pen, Ueda 89/Milan – Girona 1-0 (1-0)/Leao 37/PSG – Man City 4-2 (0-0)/Dembele 56, Barcola 60, Neves 78, Ramos 90+3 – Grealish 50, Haaland 53/Real Madrid – RB Salzburg 5-1 (2-0)/Rodrygo 23, 34, Mbappe 48, Vinicus 55, 77 – Bidstrup 86/
