Real Madrid Dominates Salzburg In Champions League
Real Madrid secured their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League with a convincing 5-1 victory over RB Salzburg at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday. Brazilian forwards Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr. led the way for the Spanish giants with two goals each, while Kylian Mbappé added another to complete the rout.
A Slow Start But A Resounding Victory
Salzburg started the match brightly and caused Real Madrid some early problems with their high press. However, the Spanish side gradually took control of the game, thanks to the brilliance of Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr., and Jude Bellingham.
Rodrygo broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute with a first-time finish after Vinicius Jr. had failed to control a long pass. The Brazilian doubled his tally in the 34th minute with a curling effort from inside the box, following a fine one-two with Bellingham.
Mbappé Takes Advantage Of Goalkeeping Blunder
Mbappé made it 3-0 in the 48th minute, capitalizing on a massive blunder by Salzburg goalkeeper Janis Blaswich, who failed to dribble past the French striker and instead gifted him the ball.
Vinicius Jr. Seals The Win With Two More Goals
Vinicius Jr. extended Real Madrid's lead in the 55th and 77th minutes with two magnificent solo efforts. The Brazilian received a great pass by Luka Modric for his first goal, beating one defender with pace and another with a cut inside before firing an unstoppable strike into the top corner.
His second goal came after a quick counter-attack, with Vinicius Jr. receiving a pass from Federico Valverde and dribbling past two defenders before wrong-footing the goalkeeper.
Salzburg Scores Consolation Goal
Mads Bidstrup scored a consolation goal for Salzburg in the 85th minute, but it was too little too late.
Real Madrid Secures Qualification
With the win, Real Madrid secured qualification for the next round of the Champions League. They are currently 16th in the standings with 12 points, but they will need to win their last game at Brest and rely on other results to earn a top-eight finish and avoid a two-legged playoff.
Salzburg, meanwhile, is eliminated from the competition after finishing third from bottom with only three points.
Rodrygo: "A Very Important Day For Us"
"A very important day for us. A win that gives us a lot of confidence going forward," said Rodrygo after the match.
"Sometimes we go through difficult times. We work hard not to, but it's not always easy. This season we are failing a bit in games that we can't fail.
"I truly believe that it's always going to be difficult in the Champions League. We need to have a relentless mentality, to score a lot of goals and win a lot of games."
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