MALMO – Cristiano Ronaldo joined Raul as Real Madrid’s most prolific goalscorer when he netted both goals in their 2-0 win over Malmo in Champions League Group A on Wednesday.
Already the top scorer in the competition’s history, Ronaldo rifled home his 81st and 82nd Champions League goals and took his Real tally to 323 alongside Raul with goals in the 29th and 90th minutes.
With six points from their opening two games, Rafael Benitez’s side lead Group A on goal difference from their next opponents Paris Saint-Germain, while Malmo, despite two losses, are third having conceded fewer goals than Shakhtar Donetsk.
The dismissal of Malmo’s Peru international Yoshimar Yotun in the 78th minute after picking up his second yellow card effectively ended the game as a contest.
Malmo full back Anton Tinnerholm had kept Ronaldo quiet for much of the opening half hour, but when his side lost the ball on one of their rare forays forward, there was little he or his team mates could do to stop the Portuguese winger.
Croatian playmaker Mateo Kovacic collected the loose ball and played a raking pass to Isco, who slipped it to Ronaldo. Finding himself in acres of space, he calmly picked his spot and fired past Johan Wiland.
Dani Carvajal struck the woodwork shortly before half-time with a dipping shot and Ronaldo almost added a second five minutes from time only to be thwarted by a superb reflex save from Wiland.
But Ronaldo did score again to equal Raul’s record in the final minute after he was set up for a simple finish by substitute Lucas Vazquez.
Madrid dominated possession but Tinnerholm, Markus Rosenberg and Jo-Inge Berget all managed to test Keylor Navas, and Malmo captain Rosenberg flashed a second-half header just wide with the goal at his mercy.
Ronaldo can now shift his focus to setting a new record in Sunday’s Spanish La Liga derby against Atletico Madrid. (Reuters)
Other scores: (Home team first)
Manchester United 2, Wolfsburg 1
Borussia Monchengladbach 1, Manchester City 2
Shakhtar Donetsk 0, Paris St Germain 3
CSKA Moscow 3, PSV Eindhoven 2
FC Astana 2, Galatasaray 2
Atletico Madrid 1, Benfica 2
Juventus 2, Sevilla 0
