Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo all scored twice as Real Madrid beat Schalke 04 6-1 in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League meeting in Germany on Wednesday evening.
The Spanish outfit led 2-0 at the interval following strikes from Benzema and Bale, before Ronaldo scored Madrid's third in the early stages of the second period.
Benzema netted his second just before the hour mark, but Los Blancos were not finished as Bale completed his brace after 69 minutes, before Ronaldo followed suit late on.
The home supporters had something to cheer late on, however, when Dutch forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar rattled a powerful volley into the top corner against his former club.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes of action between the two European rivals.
Match statistics
Schalke
Shots: 10
On target: 6
Possession: 42%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 9
Real Madrid
Shots: 20
On target: 12
Possession: 56%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 3
Was the result fair?
In truth, Schalke were fortunate to only concede six times this evening, which is a quite incredible statement. Ronaldo could have had five or six in Germany, while Benzema and Bale also passed up opportunities to complete their hat-tricks. From the very first whistle, Los Blancos were superior to their opponents, who simply had no answer to the pace and movement of the Madrid front three. It was a dominant display from Carlo Ancelotti's slick outfit.
Schalke's performance
The German side's most positive moment came in second-half stoppage time when Huntelaar struck a wonderful volley into the top corner, which brought a warm applause from the home supporters, who were brilliant despite their team's obvious struggles on the field. The home side were poor defensively this evening, while their attacking players simply did not see enough of the ball to worry their opponents. That said, the Bundesliga outfit were not as bad as the scoreline suggests, they just found themselves up against a quite stunning Madrid team.
Real Madrid's performance
It is difficult to put into words just how impressive Madrid were this evening. Ancelotti has improved their defence this season, which makes them an incredible force due to their options in the final third. The fact that the likes of Isco and Jese Rodriguez started on the bench is a demonstration of the talent available to the Madrid boss. Schalke didn't just have Ronaldo to worry about, with Bale and Benzema also in brilliant form. The result will have certainly sent shockwaves throughout the Champions League.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Gareth Bale: In truth, any of Madrid's attacking trio could have been handed this award this evening, but Bale just shades it. The Welshman was in terrific form as he scored two and contributed one assist. The former Tottenham Hotspur attacker was also heavily involved in Los Blancos' first of the evening after embarking on a mazy run. Overall, the 24-year-old has netted 14 times this season and is starting to influence matches at the highest level.
Biggest gaffe
Without taking anything away from the visitors this evening, Schalke were poor defensively for long spells. Madrid had a helping hand for their first two goals, while the Schalke back four looked extremely nervy each time they were fronted in a one-on-one situation. That said, few defences would relish the prospect of facing Los Blancos in this type of form.
Referee performance
Was there a referee on the field this evening? Howard Webb will not have too many easier nights during his entire career. The Englishman produced just three yellow cards throughout the 90 minutes with neither side interested in making the match into a battle. There were a couple of feisty challenges in the first period, but Webb was quickly on hand to calm proceedings. The fact that the Premier League official was hardly seen is credit to his performance in Germany.
What next?
Schalke: The German outfit return to Bundesliga action this weekend with a trip to runaway leaders and champions Bayern Munich.
Real Madrid: Los Blancos also have a big one in their domestic league this weekend as they make the short trip to the Vicente Calderon to face rivals Atletico Madrid in La Liga.
Matt Law
