Rome (AFP) – Gareth Bale helped Real Madrid beat Roma on Tuesday to ensure they will go through top of their Champions League group despite a chaotic start to the season.
Bale scored one and then provided the cross that led to another as Lucas Vazquez wrapped up a clinical 2-0 win at the Stadio Olimpico.
Roma squandered several chances in the first half, the best of them falling to Cengiz Under, who was guilty of a shocking miss from six yards, with the goal gaping.
Federico Fazio’s mistake then gifted Bale the opener and Roma faded thereafter, allowing Madrid to bounce back from their shock defeat to Eibar last weekend by finishing top of Group G.
Both teams knew they had already qualified thanks to Viktoria Plzen beating CSKA Moscow in the early kick-off, making this a winner-takes-all contest for top spot.
Madrid seized it, showing once again their magic touch in the Champions League, where the team’s problems in domestic competitions are seemingly never transferred.
They have gone more than eight hours without a goal this season, and two weeks without a permanent coach, but Santiago Solari still leads Real into the knock-out stages as group winners with one game to spare.
Solari might have felt relief after the disastrous display at Eibar on Saturday while the presure mounts for Roma coach Eusebio di Francesco. They have won only one of their last five Serie A games, and Antonio Conte was watching on in the crowd.
There have been a fair few winners from Solari’s time at the helm but Isco has not been one of them. After not starting any of the new coach’s first five games, he was not even included on the bench in Italy.
Marcos Llorente was parachuted in to fill the problem position in defensive midfield while Marco Asensio, yet to catch fire this season, dropped to the bench.
A breathless first half was dominated by Roma but Madrid had the first chance. Vazquez plucked Bale’s cross out of the sky and cut back for Luka Modric, whose deflected shot was well saved by the foot of Robin Olsen.
From there, the best chances belonged to the hosts as Raphael Varane seem to defy physics by diverting away from the boot of Patrik Schick and over his own bar.
Stephan El Shaarawy hobbled off and his replacement, Justin Kluivert shot over. Schick failed to connect from close range.
from World Soccer Talk https://ift.tt/2Aru1Rz
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