UEFA Champions League: Real Madrid pump in five past Viktoria Plzen to top Group G

Real Madrid registered a thumping 5-0 win over Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League to move on top of Group G.

French forward Karim Benzema scored the opening goal which was also his 200th for Real Madrid as the Spanish giants were up and running in the 20th minute. Just three minutes, it was Casemiro who added a second to increase the lead. Benzema added another one to his tally while a magnificent left-footed strike from winger Gareth Bale then helped the defending champions end the first-half in dominating fashion with a 4-0 lead.

Toni Kroos then rounded off the rout with a goal for himself as Real Madrid raced to their third win in all competitions under interim manager Santiago Solari after Julen Lopetegui was shown the door following a string of poor shows.

Even a draw against AS Roma in their next game would ensure that Real Madrid would end up in the last 16 of the competition if CSKA Moscow somehow are unable to defeat Plzen.

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This win would blow a sign of relief in the Real Madrid ranks after Lopetegui failed to have his team perform the way they’re known for in world football.

Since his sacking, the club has gone on to win all the three matches they’ve played so far and have also scored 11 goals, with three clean sheets.

But this would be the sweetest of the three for Solari, whose side was absolutely dominant on the night and enjoyed 62% ball possession, despite the defence lacking the services of Raphael Varane and Marcelo.

These performances thus have put Solari in a good place to be handed a permanent role. Although the club had stated the Castilla coach was appointed on an interim basis, president Florentino Perez would have to think twice before naming a new coach especially with Zinedine Zidane’s route to the first team came on a similar line.

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