quarta-feira, 7 de dezembro de 2016

Real Madrid 2-2 Borussia Dortmund: Marco Reus completes late comeback - 5 things we learned

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Karim Benzema netted either side of the half before firstly Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang found the net and Reus completed the comeback late on


Marco Reus completed a late comeback from Borussia Dortmund to ensure they beat Real Madrid to secure top spot in their Champions League group.
Karim Benzema silenced his critics as Real Madrid fired themselves into a two-goal lead with strikes either side of the break.
It has seemed like the exciting young Dortmund side were going to be punished for a lack of cutting edge in both boxes.
Benzema opened the scoring by sweeping home Dani Carvajal's cross at the back post.
Dortmund then went onto miss a host of chances either side of half-time with American hot shot Christian Pulisic and Gonzalo Castro most at fault.
Benzema showed the Germans how it should be done by powering home James Rodriguez's cross what looked like a killer second eight minutes into the second-half.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang reduced the arrears just after the hour mark as he tapped home Marcel Schmelzer's cross with the Madrid back line again exposed.
And Dortmund kept on pushing, as Reus completed the comeback late on to ensure top spot in the group.
In doing so, though, they open themselves up to plenty of sharks in Monday's last 16 draw with the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester City potential opponents.

1. Ronaldo losing ground in race to a 100

A fourth straight goalless outing in the Champions League means Ronaldo has registered just twice in the group stages - his worst ever return in a Real jersey.
It hasn't been a good week for the Portuguese having been accused by the Football Leaks investigation of hiding 150 million euros of cash earned from image rights in tax havens.
Ronaldo has strongly refuted those claims via the Gestifute firm of his super agent Jorge Mendes.
However, he can't deny that Lionel Messi is closing in in the race to be the first man to 100 Champions League goals.
Ronaldo still leads the way with 96 to Messi's 93, but the Argentine is flying in Europe this season with 10 in just five games.

2. Aubaymeyang scores on Bernabeu audition

Rarely has a player so outspokenly courted his opposition like Aubameyang on his first visit to the Santiago Bernabeu.
A long time Premier League target, the African Player of the Year has repeatedly stated he only has eyes for Spain and one club in particular.
Aubameyang even made a promise to his late Spanish grandfather on his death bed that he will one day dawn the famous white shirt of the 11-time European champions.
The impressive Raphael Varane had the power and strength to match Aubameyang before the break.
However, he showed Dortmund's other wayward forwards the way to go when he snaffled up his first clear chance for a 19th goal in as many games this season.

3. Casemiro brings bite to Madrid midfield

Lost amidst the madness of Sergio Ramos doing what Sergio Ramos does in scoring at last minute equaliser in El Clasico on Saturday, was a goal saving challenge from Casemiro minutes earlier to prevent Neymar putting Barca 2-0 up.
The Brazilian broke his leg just over two months ago putting in the sort of bone crunching tackle that has won him in a place in the Real midfield ahead of others with far more natural talent.
Yet, that injury hasn't affected his bravery as he launched into one thunderous first-half challenge that sparked a threatening Madrid counter-attack.
His presence also brings a balance missing in his absence. With the defensive duties looked after, Luka Modric and James had more licence to roam forward.

4. Dortmund may regret coming top

It is to Dortmund's credit that they fought valiantly to earn top spot in the group despite knowing before kick-off that the route to the last eight may be a more forgiving one having finished second.
The Germans could have avoided a potential hazardous clash with Manchester City or PSG.
Instead, Monday's draw could have a huge bearing on the route to Cardiff come the new year.

5. Zidane's Madrid reach Beenhakker benchmark

Zidane admitted on Tuesday that a mixture of passion, hard work and luck to have the players at his disposal are the factors behind an unbeaten run that now stretches 34 games and eight months.
Whilst the skeptics may still reject the notion of the Frenchman as an instant managerial genius, the numbers don't lie and Madrid have now equalled their longest ever run without defeat.
That previous mark was reached by Leo Beenhakker's crew in winning La Liga in 1988-89.
With Deportivo la Coruna to visit the Bernabeu on Saturday, Zidane already looks set to rewrite Real's history books after less than a year in charge.

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