Holders Real Madrid hammered Salzburg 5-1 on Wednesday to secure a top-24 finish in the Champions League's league phase. (More Football News)
Madrid maintain minute hopes of climbing into the top eight and booking a last-16 place but will more realistically be relieved to be sure of a kꩲnock-out berth after back-to-back defeats earlier in the campaign left🅰 them at risk.
They were never in dang🦄er in this match as a superb first-half brace from Rodrygo put the European champions in complete control.
Kylian Mbappe took advantage of a blunder from Salzburg goalkeeper Janis Blaswich to extend the lead further a🐓fter half-time, before Vinicius Jꦑunior grabbed his own delightful double to round out the scoring for the home side.
Vinicius' first goal wa🌜s his 100th for Madrid in all competitions and helped ensure their matchday eight meeting with Brest will see the LaLiga giants aiming to climb the table rather than looking nervously over their🔯 shoulders.
The only blight on a fine evening for M♊adrid was Mꦆads Bidstrup's late riposte for Salzburg.
Data debrief: More misery for Salzburg
This was Salzburg's seventh meeting with the reigning champions in the Champions League and their seventh defeat. They are the first team to 🅠face the holders seven or more times and lose every time, now by an aggregate score of 24-7.
But it is not just the elite sides who have swept Salzburg aside thi💜s season. They had already lost five Champions League games by multiple goals without scor༒ing.
Of course, that did not happen for a sixth time in seven matches due to Bidstrup's late consolation, which also denied Madrid a first clean sheet of this ཧcampaign. Despite the attacking talent that allowed Carlo Ancelotti's men to score five times, they must tighten up at the back if they are to repeat last season's success.
