Real Madrid vs. Malmo: Winners and Losers from Champions League
Real Madrid pummeled Malmo 8-0 in their final UEFA Champions League Group A match on Tuesday night at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored four goals, while Karim Benzema found the back of the net three times for the first-place side in Group A. Mateo Kovacic also picked up a tally late in the second half.
The win equaled the biggest victory in Champions League history, per Opta. It was also the second time manager Rafa Benitez saw his club score eight times in a European match. Benitez's Liverpool defeated Besiktas 8-0 back in 2007.
Here's a look at our winners and losers from Real Madrid's home thumping of the Swedish champions.
Winner: Cristiano Ronaldo
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Cristiano Ronaldo put on yet another marvelous scoring display in the Champions League on Tuesday as he found the back of the net on four occasions.
The Portuguese superstar opened his account in the win over Malmo in the 39th minute with a skipping free-kick that beat an out of position Johan Wiland. In the second half, Ronaldo netted a trio of tallies in 14 minutes as the defense of the Swedish champions faltered greatly.
The quartet of strikes helped Ronaldo move into double digits in the goals column in group play. His total of 11 is the highest ever for a player in the group stage. Ronaldo's hat-trick also was the third fastest in Champions League history. Only Bafetimbi Gomis and Mike Newell recorded faster hat-tricks, per ESPN FC's James Tyler.
Loser: Johan Wiland
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To say Johan Wiland's night at the Bernabeu was a nightmare is a massive understatement.
The Swedish netminder was caught out of position on numerous occasions and some of the saves he made turned into rebounds that Real Madrid capitalized on.
Arguably the worst mistake of the match committed by Wiland came on Ronaldo's first goal as he failed to cover the right post. Wiland dove in an attempt to stop the free-kick, but because his positioning left him a foot too short, the ball bounced into the bottom-right corner of the net.
In the 50th minute, Wiland was in awful position again as Ronaldo's third goal of the night bounced off his left leg and into the back of the net. Things continued to get worse for Wiland as the second half went on as his save in the 70th minute produced a rebound that allowed Mateo Kovacic to score.
Losing by eight goals was not the way the Swedish champions wanted to go out of the group stage. And to make matters worse, they will have to dwell on this loss for a few months since their league season ended in October.
Winner: Karim Benzema
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Before Ronaldo found his scoring boots, Karim Benzema got off to a hot start in front of goal for Real Madrid.
The France international opened the scoring in the 12th minute after Yoshimar Yotun deflected his off-the-line clearance onto the feet of Benzema. Twelve minutes later, Benzema found himself on the scoresheet again thanks to a superb rising header off a Ronaldo cross.
Benzema finished off his hat-trick in the 74th minute as he easily cut through the Malmo defense and struck a shot into the right side of the net.
In the thrashing of Malmo, Benzema and Ronaldo became the first pair of teammates to record hat-tricks in the same Champions League game, per Opta.
Loser: James Rodriguez
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The one superstar absent from the scoring frenzy on Tuesday night was James Rodriguez.
The dynamic Colombian took a backseat to the brilliance of Ronaldo and Benzema in the final third and he barely threatened Wiland with an attempt.
Real Madrid manager Rafa Benitez opted to take advantage of the chance to rest James as he took him off in the 64th minute for Jese.
Despite coming out on top in the group and in Tuesday's match, one has to believe James is a little upset he wasn't able to score on a night where the other key attackers in the Real Madrid lineup did.
Winner: Isco
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Isco did not score in the 8-0 win at home, but he contributed plenty of key passes to the Real Madrid attack.
From the start of the match, the Spanish midfielder attempted to find gaps in the Malmo defense and create for Benzema and Ronaldo. It was Isco's shot on target in the 12th minute that set up Benzema's first strike as Yotun deflected the attempt off the line and in the direction of the Frenchman.
In the second half, Isco contributed assists in the 59th minute on Ronaldo's fourth and in the 74th minute on Benzema's third.
Thanks to the carving runs made by Isco, Real Madrid found early holes in the Malmo back line and went on to exploit them for 90 minutes.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
