Real Madrid were the favourites for the game and it didn't take them too long to take the lead. After just three minutes Daniel Carvajal fed the ball to Gareth Bale, who toe-poked his shot beneath Roman Weidenfeller. Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 14th Champions League goal of the season to equal Lionel Messi's record and seal a superb 3-0 victory against Borussia Dortmund. Gareth Bale opened the scoring after just four minutes before Isco struck home a brilliant 20-yard effort to double Los Blanco's lead. In the second half, Cristiano Ronaldo rounded the keeper for an easy finish before later leaving the field due to injury. He almost doubled his advantage a few moments later as the hosts were storming, much like they did in the previous round, but Bale's effort was disallowed for offside after he flicked the ball into the net. Soon it was Cristiano Ronaldo's turn to threaten and he was close to scoring an astonishing free-kick from 25-yards out but Weidenfeller pulled off a remarkable save to keep the ball from nestling into the top corner of his goal. It was only a matter of time until the Spaniards got their second and they got it through Isco as the game approached the half hour mark. The youngster skipped away from a tackle before striking a 20-yard shot into the bottom corner. Dortmund had a glorious opportunity to grab a crucial away goal early in the second-half when Marco Reus skipped away from the defender and poked a through ball to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who could only drag his shot wide of Iker Casillas' goal. The Germans were punished for wasting that chance shortly afterwards when Luka Modric found Ronaldo in space and the Ballon D'or winner rounded the keeper before poking home into the empty net, scoring a record-equalling 14th Champions League goal of the season. It wasn't all going to plan for Real Madrid though as inside the last ten minutes Ronaldo went down in a heap and was forced off the field, which is a huge concern for Carlo Ancelotti as it could affect both European and domestic form. Bale could've extended Madrid's advantage as he went on a superb run from the halfway line to the edge of the box but the Welshman could only fire his shot over the crossbar. The result puts Real Madrid in a comfortable position ahead of the second-leg next Tuesday, as Ancelotti's men continue to impress on their quest for a tenth Champions League trophy.
Josh has had work featured in the Evening Gazette and on Newcastle United website. He is a Multimedia Journalism student at Teesside University and runs a successful sports blog. He also enjoys films, comics and TV, writing about anything he can. Josh has recently started writing his first of what he hopes will be many books.
