Real Madrid vs. Basel: Score, Grades and Post-Match Reaction

Real Madrid looked like the favorite for another UEFA Champions League title during its 5-1 win over FC Basel in the first group-stage match.     

Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo each totaled a goal and an assist in the win, as the squad earned an important three points to kick off its 2014-15 campaign. 

Inside Spanish Football's Heath Chesters had Carlo Ancelotti's thoughts after the game:

"

The fans are happy with the game today. We’ve played well and scored goals. The reaction from the team today was good. We showed plenty of intensity in the first half. Not everything is resolved yet, but I liked the reaction we’ve shown.

The three forward players have freedom to interchange positions. For a striker it’s important to score and Benzema has scored a spectacular goal.

It’s only natural that the fans were nervous after what happened in the derby. I’m not used to losing two games running here. I heard the whistles today, but I also heard the fans singing ‘Cómo no te voy a querer’ (How can we not love you).

"

A wild first half featured five goals. The opening score, an own goal by Basel's Marek Suchy in the 14th minute, was the least impressive of the bunch. B/R Football breaks down the events:

"

GOAL! 14'-Suchy deflects in a Nacho cross to give Real Madrid a 1-0 over Basel.

— B/R Football (@br_football) September 16, 2014"

Goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik could not do anything after the deflection as Real Madrid took a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, the keeper was set to be under a lot more pressure going forward.

Real Madrid doubled its lead in the 30th minute thanks to an impressive individual effort from Bale and an assist from Luka Modric. James Horncastle of BT Sport liked what both players did to create the goal:

As Jorge Andres Mondaca of Fox Sports noted, this ball movement is almost impossible to stop:

Just one minute later, the home team took a 3-0 lead on a play once set up by Bale and finished by Ronaldo, via SportsCenter:

The assault continued in the 36th minute as James Rodriguez got involved, scoring on an open net after a rebound. ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan described the play:

At this point, Fox Soccer joked about the poor outlook for Basel:

The good news is the underdogs were able to get onto the scoresheet immediately after. Derlis Gonzalez ruined the clean sheet with a score in the 38th minute, as described by the UCL Twitter account:

This ended a run of four goals in a span of just eight minutes in the first half, as Real Madrid went into intermission with a 4-1 lead.

The second half was much calmer, as Real was happy to simply control possession with the big lead. After few opportunities for over 30 minutes, the club finally added to its total with a goal in the 79th minute.

Ronaldo set up a quality look at the net for Karim Benzema, who fired it in off the woodwork to make it 5-1. AS pointed out this was a rare result based on recent play:

Things had not been going well for Real Madrid since the start of the 2013-14 campaign. Losses to Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad in La Liga as well as a loss in the Spanish Super Cup have led to concern among fans.

However, manager Carlo Ancelotti believed the matchup against Basel would be a good chance to turn things around, per Reuters:

"

I feel like a coach who has to fix things in the team, the same as happened last year. This match comes at the right time as it is a chance to show a positive reaction and demonstrate the good things in the team. 

Starting this competition well is very important. I believe we will be competitive and we will try to win it again.

"

He was right, as supporters finally saw what can happen when all the talented pieces on the attack jell together. There is a lot of skill on the pitch when Real Madrid play; the players just have to figure out what it takes to win.

Ancelotti will hope that this victory becomes a turning point in the season. At the very least, the squad proved that it has the potential to win a second consecutive Champions League title. 

Grades

Gareth Bale, Real Madrid: A

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Since his time at Tottenham, Bale has always seemed to show the ability to come through with big performances when they're needed the most. He did that once again with a goal and an assist in the win over Basel.

WhoScored.com notes how well the forward has performed in UCL play:

The goal came off a great pass from Luka Modric, although not many others in the world would be able to finish the way Bale did, flipping the ball over the keeper and running it down for the tap-in. His assist was also something to watch as he unselfishly found Ronaldo on the break.

Bale showed what he is capable of in this match and proved he can be a leader when needed.

Iker Casillas, Real Madrid: B+

While the attack has struggled to this point of the year, a lot of blame has also come to goalkeeper Iker Casillas. The 33-year-old veteran had a disappointing run with Spain at the World Cup and has not been much better with Real Madrid.

However, he came through with one of his better performances of the season against Basel.

One goal did get past him, but he had a number of quality saves, including a one-on-one opportunity in the second half. It was a strong performance to give the coaching staff confidence in him going forward.

Marek Suchy, FC Basel: C-

Not only did Suchy start the scoring in the match with an own goal, but his poor play was also a big reason Real Madrid were so successful in this one.

Playing on the left side of a three-man back line, Suchy could not keep the opponents out of his zone. Bale was able to make easy runs without any sort of pressure because the defender on that side was not a threat to make a tackle.

Suchy did do a decent job of getting the ball up the pitch when he controlled possession, although it was not enough to help his side in the loss.

Luca Zuffi, FC Basel: A

Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

Although Derlis Gonzalez was the one who scored the goal for FC Basel, Luca Zuffi was arguably the best player on the pitch for the road team.

The forward was extremely active on the attack throughout the match and was really the only one causing problems for the Real Madrid defense. He also earned the assist on his side's only goal.

Basel was clearly overmatched in this one, but Zuffi was one of the few players holding his own.

What's Next?

Real Madrid will hope to take this momentum into La Liga, where they have started with two losses in three matches. They have a winnable battle against Deportivo, but will their attack click like it did against Basel?

If so, the squad should be in great shape.

Meanwhile, Basel will hope to have more success in Switzerland, where it will face Winterthur on Sunday. Both Real Madrid and Basel return to Champions League action on Oct. 1.

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