Carlo Ancelotti's side returned to their old ways in Europe with a signature performance against the Austrian strugglers
Real Madrid found their Champions League swagger on Wednesday, putting five past a helpless Red Bull Salzburg in a dominant win that has them well positioned to guarentee a knockout spot. Vinicius Jr turned a poor first half into a dominant second, while Rodrygo bagged a brace in a statement 5-1 victory.
Rodrygo opened the scoring after an admittedly flat Madrid start. It came thanks to a sweeping move, Kylian Mbappe finding Vinicius, whose long ball deflected kindly into the path of his wide open Brazil team-mate, who couldn't miss from the back post. His second was sublime, meanwhile – a Jude Bellingham no-look backheel assist setting up an audacious curler to give Madrid a 2-0 advantage.
Salzburg gifted Madrid a third early in the second half as Mbappe closed down goalkeeper Janis Blaswich, who surrendered the ball in his own six-yard box, handing the Frenchman an easy finish into an open net. Vinicius made it 4-0 just short of the hour mark with a signature far-post finish and scored another after 77 minutes after a silly twist followed by easy slot into the corner. Salzburg then grabbed themselves a well-worked consolation that will serve as nothing more than a minor annoyance for the hosts as they kept their slim hopes of qualifying automatically for the last 16 alive.
GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from Santiago Bernabeu…
AFPGoalkeeper & Defence
Thibaut Courtois (6/10):
Claimed a handful of crosses, made a couple of easy saves. Could no nothing about the only goal.
Federico Valverde (7/10):
Effective as a right-back, which is hardly surprising. Even better as a midfielder for the last 30 minutes, which is even less of a shock.
Raul Asencio (7/10):
Tidy at centre-back, then put in a nice shift on the right to allow for Alaba's return to Champions League action.
Antonio Rudiger (7/10):
Won all of his tackles, and was challenged in the air without ever really looking uncomfortable.
Ferland Mendy (7/10):
Got forward quite a bit, and linked play well. Perhaps Fran Garcia's recent improvements have spurred him on…
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Dani Ceballos (7/10):
Kept things tidy and ticking. Never ambitious with the ball, but he really didn't have to be.
Luka Modric (8/10):
Bossed it from the middle, floating around and finding all of the right angles. Assisted Vinicius, too.
Jude Bellingham (8/10):
An absolutely ridiculous backheel set up Rodrygo's second. Dribbled around a lot, created three chances. Finding his best form.
AFPAttack
Rodrygo (8/10):
Took the opening goal well, made the second look even better. Not on the ball much, but was lethal when he had it.
Kylian Mbappe (7/10):
Not his cleanest game in possession, but he was certainly more lively defensively and grabbed an opportunistic goal.
Vinicius Jr (8/10):
Actually pretty poor in the first half. A bit loose in one-on-ones and correctly booked for diving. Seemed to wake up after the break, scoring a beauty – his 100th for Madrid – and tormenting his man. Added his 101st soon after. Silly.
AFPSubs & Manager
David Alaba (7/10):
A solid 30 minutes as he contines his return from an ACL injury.
Arda Guler (6/10):
Never really involved in half an hour of action.
Endrick (6/10):
A few nice touches but not much else.
Brahim Diaz (5/10):
Lively, but not on long enough to make much happen
Jacobo Ramon (N/A):
A solid European debut.
Carlo Ancelotti (7/10):
Returned to a 4-3-3 with little defensive structure to speak of. After a poor start, Madrid found their swagger, and brushed away an inferior opponent. Back to something resembling their best.