Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to move level with Raul as Real Madrid's all-time leading scorer as the Spanish giants eased to a 2-0 victory over 10-man Malmo in their Champions League meeting this evening.
The Portuguese made the breakthrough with a clinical finish in the first half after being played through on goal by Isco.
Yoshimar Yotun was then sent off for the hosts for a second bookable offence, before Ronaldo touched in Lucas Vazquez's cross to seal the points in the final minute.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the events that unfolded at the Swedbank Stadion.
Match statistics
MALMO
Shots: 5
On target: 3
Possession: 24%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 16
REAL MADRID
Shots: 20
On target: 7
Possession: 76%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 3
Was the result fair?
There can be no arguments about the final result as Madrid were worthy winners this evening. They were in control for large spells of the match and should have scored far more goals than they ultimately managed. Malmo deserve credit for the effort that they put into the tie, but despite a committed performance, they struggled to create any clear chances.
Malmo's performance
From the first whistle Malmo were on the back foot and they had to endure long periods without seeing any of the ball. They did mange to withstand heavy pressure, but they were caught out on a rare foray forward as Madrid hit them on the counter-attack. It took them until the final 20 minutes to create a decent opening, but Markus Rosenberg could only head wide of the post, and when Yotun was sent off, their hopes of salvaging an unlikely point were ended.
Real Madrid's performance
It was not a vintage display from Rafael Benitez's side, but they did enough to maintain their winning start in this season's Champions League. They never looked in danger of conceding and always posed a threat going forward due to the pace of their attacking players. Madrid are sure to face sterner tests in this season's competition, but the win should give them confidence ahead of their derby clash with Atletico at the weekend.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Cristiano Ronaldo: The 30-year-old was the difference for Madrid once again by scoring both of his side's goals. He showed great composure when played through on goal to score the opener, before he added a second in the final minute with a close-range finish. The two strikes saw him move level with Raul on 323 goals for Madrid, and he has achieved the feat in just 308 games for the club.
Biggest gaffe
There were no individual mistakes that led to either of the goals, but Malmo were caught out poorly on the break for Ronaldo's opener. The Swedes had pushed far too many players forward for a rare corner, and when Madrid cleared the danger, they had no chance of getting back in time.
Referee performance
Cuneyt Cakir had a busy night in the centre of the pitch, handing out six yellow cards and an additional red to Yotun. He was right to send off the Malmo defender for a poor late challenge, but he could have allowed the game to flow more instead of blowing up for a total of 29 fouls.
What next?
Malmo: The Swedish champions are back in league action at the weekend with a trip to AIK.
Real Madrid: Madrid are set to face city rivals Atletico at the Vicente Calderon on Sunday evening.
Alex Meyers
