Holders Real Madrid defeated Salzburg 5-1 on Wednesday to secure a place in the top 24 in the Champions League stage.
Madrid retain slim hopes of climbing into the top eight and booking a place in the last 16, but will realistically be relieved if they are assured of a knockout place after successive defeats earlier in the season left them in jeopardy.
They were never in danger in this match as an excellent first-half brace from Rodrygo put the European champions in complete control.
Kylian Mbappe took advantage of a blunder from Salzburg goalkeeper Janis Blaswich to extend the lead after half-time, before Vinicius Junior grabbed his own delicious double to round off the scoring for the home side.
Vinicius' first goal was his 100th for Madrid in all competitions and ensured the LaLiga giants would climb the table instead of nervously looking over their shoulders in their eighth meeting with Brest on matchday.
The only downside on a beautiful evening for Madrid was Mads Bidstrup's late reaction for Salzburg.
@RodrygoGoes Assist from @BellinghamJude First touch finishRepeat pic.twitter.com/7vcEIvixFn
— Real Madrid CF (@realmadriden) January 22, 2025
Data debrief: Even more misery for Salzburg
This was Salzburg's seventh meeting with the reigning champions in the Champions League and their seventh defeat. They are the first team to face the holders seven or more times and lose each time, now with an aggregate score of 24-7.
But it's not just the elite sides that have pushed Salzburg aside this season. They had already lost five Champions League games by several goals without scoring.
That obviously didn't happen for the sixth time in seven games due to Bidstrup's late consolation, which also denied Madrid their first clean sheet of this campaign. Despite the attacking talent that has allowed Carlo Ancelotti's men to score five goals, they need to sharpen up at the back if they are to repeat last season's success.
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