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Rodrygo, Vinicius, and Mbappé celebrate the Frenchman's goal. Juan Medina / Reuters
Real Madrid Secures Playoff Spot and Hopes for a Miracle

Real Madrid Secures Playoff Spot and Hopes for a Miracle

Ancelotti's team ensures their survival in the Champions League by dismantling Salzburg with a brace from Rodrygo, another from Vinicius, and a goal from Mbappé.

Óscar Bellot

Madrid

Miércoles, 22 de enero 2025, 23:10

Real Madrid definitively overcame the risk of an early exit from the Champions League by convincingly defeating Salzburg on Wednesday. The match at Santiago Bernabéu was a comfortable affair, enhancing the outlook for the fifteen-time European champions in their favourite competition.

A brace from Rodrygo in the first half quelled the timid initial threats from the Austrian side, who barely dared to show themselves in the opening minutes, collapsed at the first sign of trouble, and ended up being thrashed.

Without even needing to accelerate, the vastly superior Madrid side increased their lead early in the second half through Mbappé, who capitalised on a gift from Blaswich similar to the one Donnarumma gave to Benzema in the match against PSG. The team eventually overwhelmed their timid opponents.

Real Madrid

Courtois, Valverde, Asencio, Rüdiger (Jacobo Ramón, min. 78), Mendy, Modric, Ceballos (Arda Güler, min. 63), Bellingham (Alaba, min. 63), Rodrygo (Brahim, min. 71), Mbappé (Endrick, min. 71) and Vinicius.

5

-

1

Salzburg

Blaswich, Dedic, Baidoo, Blank, Terzic, Yeo (Diambou, min. 63), Capaldo (Kawamura, min. 82), Bidstrup, Gloukh (Gourna-Douath, min. 82), Nene (Piatkowski, min. 63) and Daghim (Ratkov, min. 88).

  • Goals: 1-0: min. 23, Rodrygo. 2-0: min. 34, Rodrygo. 3-0: min. 48, Mbappé. 4-0: min. 54, Vinicius. 5-0: min. 75, Vinicius. 5-1: min. 85, Bidstrup.

  • Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden). Booked Vinicius, who will miss the match against Brest due to yellow card accumulation.

  • Incidents: Match corresponding to the seventh round of the Champions League, played at Santiago Bernabéu.

Vinicius, first with a shot to the far post after a Modric assist and then with another strike deceiving the unfortunate Salzburg goalkeeper, raised the home team's tally. They started slowly but ended up securing a convincing victory, allowing Carlo Ancelotti's side to secure at least a playoff spot and keep their hopes alive for direct qualification to the knockout stages. Although remote, having avoided the precipice, they now hope for a miracle.

Despite the victory securing their survival in the competition, it was not enough for Real Madrid just to win. They also needed to score heavily to climb as high as possible in the standings and continue their chances of avoiding a tricky playoff. With this objective, Ancelotti fielded an offensively strong lineup, with Valverde at right-back, no defensive midfielder, and four attackers in the front line.

Lacking the necessary competitive rhythm, having not played an official match for over a month due to the winter break in the Austrian Bundesliga, and only tested in a friendly where they were heavily defeated by Bayern and another where they fell more respectably to Midtjylland, Thomas Letsch's team was seen as a suitable sparring partner for Real Madrid to exploit, and it didn't take long for them to hit the canvas.

A Zidane-like assist

It's true that Gloukh soon tried with a cross shot that went close to the post, but Real Madrid's overwhelming superiority and devastating finishing quickly became apparent. Rodrygo struck, taking advantage of a loose ball from Bellingham trying to control a cross from Vinicius that was actually intended for his compatriot, and soon after, the Brazilian fired again, capitalising on a masterful backheel from the '5' that even a connoisseur like Guti would have admired.

Zidane-like in both essence and form, the British midfielder helped disorient a Salzburg side as soft as a sponge cake, which was at the mercy of their opponent despite scoring a consolation goal late on through Bidstrup and leaves the competition despondent. In stark contrast, Real Madrid, after catching their breath in Bergamo, can now breathe easier, sitting in sixteenth place in the group with 12 points and everything to play for in the final round. They will have to work hard at Brest's stadium, where Vinicius will be absent due to yellow card accumulation, but nothing is impossible. Especially not for Real Madrid, the king of miracles.

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