Rayo Vallecano 0-5 Barcelona: Brilliant Blaugrana run riot in Madrid

Tito Villanova and his team never looked like losing, and continue their incredible start to the domestic season with another victory, with Messi and Xavi reaching landmarks.

 

Barcelona made it five wins out of five away from home as it dispatched Rayo Vallecano 5-0 at Estadio Teresa Rivero on Saturday to maintain its place atop the Liga standings.

David Villa opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a cool finish, but despite intermittent threat from the home side, Lionel Messi surged the Blaugrana further ahead with a thumping effort three minutes into the second half, his 300th senior goal for club and country. 

Xavi ended the game as a contest when he struck his 50th La Liga goal in the 79th minute before Cesc Fabregas added the visitors' fourth goal almost immediately after, and Messi sealed matters with his second a minute before time.

Barca have now won eight of their opening nine games, and sit three points clear of Atletico Madrid, who square off against Osasuna on Sunday, while Rayo meanwhile remain mired in 13th place on 10 points.

With Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano all absent, Adriano was chosen to start in central defense alongside Sergio Busquets, whose vacated midfield spot was filled by Alex Song.

Paco Jemez was also forced to shuffle his pack at the back, as Rodri replaced the suspended Mikel Labaka, while Jordi Amat was ruled fit enough to start in defense.

Rayo did a good job of unsettling the Blaugrana early on, forcing them into a few mistakes in possession and winning a succession of corners.

Fabregas avoided a potentially dangerous call when he tripped Leo Baptistao on the edge of the area, before the midfielder himself was then denied a penalty after being barged in the back by Cassado when attacking a ball into the box.

But Barca, despite its less than spectacular beginning, surged ahead in the 20th minute with one of its first real attacks of the game. Fabregas won possession in midfield and, spottingVilla’s run from the left flank, teed up the Spanish striker, who coolly slotted into the corner.

Villa had an attempt at another a few minutes later, but after finding himself in space at the edge of the box, could only direct his shot low within the reach of Ruben.

Messi then sent a free-kick just wide, but Barca struggled to press home its advantage as the pressure from Rayo off the ball forced it outside of its tiki-taka comfort zone. In fact, the home side began to cause a few wobbles in the Blaugrana backline as the first half drew to a close.

Piti sent a half-volley just over the bar after attacking the ball on the edge of the area before Andrija Delibasic wasted Rayo’s best chance of the half, firing straight at Victor Valdes after finding himself with a clean run on goal.

Barca came out of the interval firing, though, and stormed into a two goal lead barely three minutes after the restart. Martin Montoya’s overlapping run was spotted by the driving Pedro, and the young right back squared to Messi, who thumped past Ruben from just inside the box.

However, Rayo looked to hit back quickly. Alejandro Dominguez’s cross was not properly cleared, leaving Javi Fuego with a clear shot that was well saved by Victor Valdes. Delibasic attacked the resulting corner at the near post, but could only flick his header over.

Valdes again denied Fuego from close range before Messi squandered a chance to put the game beyond any doubt after going clear thanks to a bad back-pass, but his lob over Ruben was well off target.

Barca put the game to bed with full time approaching. First, a surging run and cross from Alba was met with a fine finish from Xavi inside the area, who slotted expertly into the far corner in the 79th minute.

Fabregas made it 4-0 seconds after the restart, sidefooting Pedro’s center home, beforeMessi added a fifth in the 89th minute after rounding Ruben from close range to put the finishing touches on an emphatic win for Barca, whose near-perfect start to the season continues.

Chelsea 2-3 Manchester United: Van Persie, Hernandez and card-happy Clattenburg end Blues' unbeaten run

Roberto Di Matteo's team's lead is reduced to a point as the team suffers its first league defeat of the season in controversial circumstances.

LONDON - On an afternoon strewn with goals, red cards, drama and controversy, Manchester United climbed to within one point of the league summit with a 3-2 victory over nine-man Chelsea.

Roberto Di Matteo’s team recovered from 2-0 down to make it 2-2 early in the second half but had Branislav Ivanovic and Fernando Torres sent off before substitute Javier Hernandez scored a 75th minute winner from what appeared to be an offside position.

A David Luiz own goal and Robin van Persie’s ninth goal of the season had put United in command after 12 minutes but Chelsea responded in style, with Juan Mata’s free kick and Ramires’ header either side of the break.

Just as the visiting gained control, Ivanovic and Torres were sent off within five minutes of one another midway through the second period, ensuring the home side played the last 22 minutes with only nine men.

United took full advantage, but it needed a controversial goal from Hernandez to give Sir Alex Ferguson’s team their first win at Stamford Bridge in a decade.

With John Terry serving the second match of a four-game domestic suspension, Chelsea picked the same starting 11 that won so handsomely at Tottenham in its previous Premier League engagement. United brought in Tom Cleverley to partner Michael Carrick in central midfield and Ashley Young got the nod on the left flank in his first league start in two months.  

Before the action began, all eyes were on the pre-match handshake. Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole drew a line under all that has happened over the past year by ignoring their lingering grievances to shake one hands.

It was Cole’s defending, rather than his manners, that soon came under the microscope. Both of United’s goals inside the opening 12 minutes were forged on his flank as the visiting side focused on the lack of protection the left back was getting in front of him.

After four minutes, Rooney received the ball out wide and his expert cut back was whacked right footed against the post by van Persie but the rebound struck the helpless Luiz and bounced past Petr Cech for an own goal.

Eight minutes later, Van Persie was unerring with the accuracy of his second right-footer. Antonio Valencia spotted him unmarked in the box and, with complete concentration on the task, the former Arsenal man slotted in his sixth goal at Stamford Bridge.

The statistics suggested Chelsea had a mountain to climb. Before today, United had been two or more goals up in 346 Premier League games and never lost, winning 336 and drawing 10.

With Rooney playing more as a third central midfielder than a second striker, the home side initially found it hard to break down what was a 4-5-1 formation.

But Chelsea raised its game leading up to the break, forcing three athletic saves from David De Gea before Mata made Rooney pay for hauling down Eden Hazard outside the box with a beautiful curling free kick after 44 minutes.

The home side had the bit between its teeth at the start of the second half as it reminded United whose house it was.

After 53 minutes, United failed to clear following more excellent play from Mata and Ramires rose above Cleverley to emphatically head in Oscar’s byline cross for the equalizer.

It all unraveled for Chelsea after that point. Ivanovic deservedly received a red card for a professional foul on Young after 63 minutes, cynically clipping the winger as he raced through on goal.

Inexplicably, Fernando Torres followed the right-back down the tunnel five minutes later. The Spaniard received a second yellow for simulation, even though replays clearly showed there was contact from Jonny Evans.

Down to nine men, Chelsea struggled to contain United but the officials ensured Roberto Di Matteo’s post-match press conference would be an all-ticket affair by failing to spot that Hernandez was offside when he tapped in the winner.

Mallorca 0-5 Real Madrid: Higuain & Ronaldo fire Los Blancos to easy win

Los Blancos never looked like losing, and put the hosts to the sword with a complete display to reduce the gap to Barcelona to eight points

Real Madrid got back to winning ways with a comfortable 5-0 victory over Mallorca in their La Liga clash at the Iberostar Stadium on Sunday.

After a disappointing 2-1 loss at Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League midweek, Los Blancos put in a professional performance from start to finish, and sailed to all three points.

Gonzalo Higuain opened the scoring with a classy finish after eight minutes, before Cristiano Ronaldo added a second goal in the 22nd minute.

The pair would come to the fore again in the second half, as Higuain slotted home the third with 20 minutes remaining, with Ronaldo drilling home the visitors' fourth goal three minutes later.

Substitute Jose Callejon made it 5-0 with virtually the last kick of the game, as Madrid cruised to victory and moved up to fourth place in the standings, though it still trails leader Barcelona by eight points.

With Marcelo, Fabio Coentrao and Alvaro Arbeloa all sidelined through injury, Michael Essien was chosen to start at left back in a depleted defence for Jose Mourinho’s team.

Joaquin Capparos had no such dilemma, naming an unchanged XI from the side that went down 3-2 away to Sevilla last week.

Madrid needed only eight minutes to take the lead. Angel Di Maria’s pass seemed routine for Anderson Conceicao, but the Brazilian allowed the ball to deflect into the box, where Higuain pounced on the loose ball and blasted into the back of the net with the outside of his boot.

Ronaldo also seemed eager to get in on the action early on when he went close with a pair of long-range efforts, the first smothered by Dudu Aouate, while the second flew just over the bar.

Mallorca though, was not content to lay down and submit to Madrid, and managed to hold a few spells of pressure in the opposition half. Emilio Nsue came closest for the home side, after he evaded Sergio Ramos on the left and clipped towards the far post, but Iker Casillas was alert to tip over.

Nsue would be made to rue that miss in the 22nd minute, as a breathtaking move saw Madrid race into a two goal lead. Di Maria worked the ball towards Higuain at the top of the box, and the Argentine squared to Ronaldo, who turned swiftly past his marker and drilled into the bottom corner.

Though Mallorca threatened intermittently and created a few half-chances of their own, Madrid was simply flowing on the counterattack, with Mesut Ozil and Luka Modric in fine form.

The home side’s tendency to push numbers forward made it especially vulnerable on the break, and Madrid could have probably had a third goal before halftime had it been more ruthless when in sight of Aouate’s goal.

Madrid though took the foot off the gas pedal in the second half, and seemed content to hold possession and extinguish any momentum that Mallorca could muster, rather than press forward for a third goal.

There was a little more purpose and intent surrounding Caparros’ men when they advanced forward, but chances remained elusive as Madrid’s defense was able to hold firm.

And with the clock closing in on 70 minutes, Higuain put the result beyond any doubt, latching on to Ronaldo’s through ball and slotting past Aouate to put the finishing touches on another superb Madrid break.

The visitors would strike a deadly blow on the counter four minutes later, and Higuain would turn provider once more, slipping in Ronaldo with a superb pass, from which the Portuguese drilled straight home.

With only seconds remaining, Callejon rounded off matters with a simple tap-in from Ozil's cutback, as Madrid finished in style to continue its push up the Liga table.

Berlusconi sentence reduced to 12 months

The former Italian Prime Minister was imprisoned for four years on Friday, but has seen that punishment cut as a result of a legal loophole

AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi has had his jail sentence reduced to just 12 months, thanks to the application of a 2006 Amnesty Law aimed at reducing overcrowding in prisons.

The 76-year-old was originally handed a four-year jail sentence and a fine of 10 million euros on Friday, for his part in a tax fraud scandal.

Berlusconi, along with 10 others, was on trial after it was alleged that the defendants were involved in a scheme to purchase American movies for his company, Mediaset, through an offshore firm and had failed to properly declare payments so as to avoid taxes.

It was also claimed that Berlusconi had relicensed the films, and pocketed the difference, making the Milan supremo some 250 million euros.

The Italian has been involved in a number of legal procedures to do with his business ventures, but has either been cleared, or the cases have been dropped due to time constraints.

Berlusconi, who was not in court on Friday to hear the verdict, served as Prime Minister of Italy between 1994 and 1995, 2001 and 2006, and 2008 and 2011, but recently announced that he would not be running for a fourth term.

Gabriel Muniz Enaroma Dribble Messi Between the legs

The Brazilian Miracle Enaroma, Gabriel Muniz met the Barca squad and had a chance to dribble Lionel Messi. Gabriel with no feet kicked the ball between the legs of Messi and showed some skills with the ball in the air. The Brazilian boy who was born without feet to a genetic malformation has occurred Wednesday at the Sports City and got pictures with all the players of the first team of FC Barcelona, ​​where he was received with great affection and admiration. HD. Months ago, this guy had the pleasure of testing in the club and now managed to meet 'The Flea'. In addition to the campus was also the entire computer, while I had been in the Champions League duel on the stage with the president Sandro Rosell. Both Gabriel and Messi promised to meet again in two years in the World Cup Brazil 2014

El Shaarawy: We are all behind Allegri

The promising attacker has stressed that the beleaguered coach still has the faith of the dressing room, regardless of the team's poor results this season

Stephan El Shaarawy has made it clear that AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri still has his squad's full support as they are determined to get back on track with the 45-year-old at the helm.

Allegri's position has come under fire following the Rossoneri's disappointing start to the 2012-13 campaign, but his players remain confident the former Cagliari boss is the right man for the job.

"We are all with him, every single player. We supported him in the beginning and that hasn't changed. That's all that counts. Everything else that's written is nonsense," El Shaarawy toldLa Gazzetta dello Sport.

He added, "I know that it might be hard to believe, but the atmosphere in the dressing room is very calm. The coach is confident, and so are the team and the club.

"We will get out of this situation. We all know that we have a great team and deserve to sit higher in the table."

Milan will be looking to return to winning ways on Saturday when it hosts Genoa.

Guti: I wish Messi played at Real Madrid

The 35-year-old has voiced his admiration for the Argentina star, while also praising Los Blancos ace Cristiano Ronaldo and criticizing Jose Mourinho

Former Spain international Guti feels that Barcelona attacker Lionel Messi deserves to win the FIFA Ballon d'Or following his fine performances this term, and wishes that the diminutive magician would wear the Real Madrid jersey.

essi has already netted 15 goals in 13 official appearances for Barca this term after breaking numerous records in the first half of the year, and Guti believes it would only be right to reward him with the prestigious individual award.

"I would give the Ballon d'Or to Messi. The only problem is that he plays for Barcelona. I would like to see him at Real Madrid," Guti stated to Punto Pelota.

The former Madrid midfielder then had his say on Cristiano Ronaldo's situation at the Blancos, and stressed that the Portugal international should be treated with affection.

"Cristiano is fundamental for Madrid. He needs to be given a lot of love. He has been in incredible form and that'll make him happy," Guti said. "He's a very special player and is a key figure at Madrid."

Chelsea's Falcao move marks the end for 62m euros Torres gamble

After not looking likely to recapture his Liverpool form, the Spanish striker's time in west London could be drawing to a close after the Blues move for the Atletico Madrid star

When Fernando Torres was asked earlier in October about Radamel Falcao’s future atAtletico Madrid, the Spaniard suggested that a player should not be held back once he becomes bigger than the club.

He had a point, and Falcao is likely to become a teammate of Torres at Chelsea in January as the Blues prepare a 60 million euros move for the in-form Colombian striker.

But, by the same token, what if a player is no longer good enough for his team?

The mere fact that Chelsea is moving for Falcao having spent more than 88m euros in the summer shows how much manager Roberto Di Matteo wants a leading striker as the Londoners look to win the Premier League title and retain their Champions League crown.

While Falcao’s arrival would not prompt Torres’ immediate departure from Stamford Bridge, it would force the former Liverpool man to once again accept a role as second fiddle, backup to the first-choice striker.

Didier Drogba’s summer departure was supposed to allow Torres to finally flourish after a miserable start to his Chelsea career following his 62m euros move to Stamford Bridge in 2011.

There has been improvement - Torres has scored four goals in eight Premier League appearances so far this season - but supporters have given up hoping that the 28-year-old will ever reproduce the form he showed at Liverpool.

Torres’ role this season has largely been as a selfless facilitator, linking up play for the likes of Eden Hazard, Juan Mata and Oscar to shine.

Yet he still lacks confidence and sharpness in front of goal - and Di Matteo is well aware of the lethal potential of combining the Blues’ attacking triumvirate with a lethal finisher like Falcao.

Torres’ arrival at Chelsea was seen at the time as a vanity signing by owner Roman Abramovich and, as he did with Andriy Shevchenko, the Russian billionaire finally appears to be ready to accept his mistake.

It has hard to believe just how much Torres’ star has fallen since he left Liverpool, where he scored 65 league goals in 102 appearances and was regarded as one of the best strikers in Europe with his searing pace and deadly finishing.

Sulky and sultry for much of his Chelsea career, Torres simply has not looked like he enjoys playing anymore. Maybe he could do with a fresh start himself, perhaps a return to Atletico Madrid.

For Falcao’s arrival from the Spanish capital will complete the most fearsome attack in English football but will once again relegate Torres to the substitutes’ bench. It is not a role he will accept, having even found time to criticize the team’s tactics after Chelsea’s historic Champions League triumph in May.

Many in Spain believe Torres has played too much football in his career, having played continually since making his professional debut for Atletico Madrid at the age of 17.

Whether it’s in his mind or his legs, it is now clear that Torres’ best days will remain in the past. That’s why Abramovich and Di Matteo will do everything in their power to sign Falcao in the New Year.

Manchester United and Real Madrid lead shirt sale charts

The English powerhouse and the Liga champions have sold more jerseys than any other team over the past five years

United and Madrid are two of the three teams that have managed to surpass the one million mark between 2007-08 and 2011-12, with Spanish titans Barcelona completing the top three with 1.15m shirts sold per year.

England has four teams in the top 10, with Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal accompanying Manchester United, while Juventus, Inter and AC Milan represent Serie A. Bayern Munich completes the top 10 in fifth position.

All of the teams in the top 10 either wear Adidas or Nike jerseys, with both brands having five representatives in the list.

The figures, which were published by Sportingintelligence, have been compiled by veteran analyst Dr Peter Rohlmann and his team at the consulting bureau, PR Marketing,

Rank	Team	Country	Shirts sold *	Brand
1	Manchester United	England	1.4 million	Nike
-	Real Madrid	Spain	1.4 million	Adidas
3	Barcelona	Spain	1.15 million	Nike
4	Chelsea	England	910.000	Adidas
5	Bayern Munich	Germany	880.000	Adidas
6	Liverpool	England	810.000	Adidas
7	Arsenal	England	800.000	Nike
8	Juventus	Italy	480.000	Nike
9	Inter	Italy	425.000	Nike
10	AC Milan	Italy	350.000	Adidas

*Shirt sales (official merchandise) only. Does not include other club merchandise.

Cristiano Ronaldo: Dortmund loss no great drama

The Portugal international remains unperturbed by the Blancos' loss at the Signal Iduna Park, and is still confident they will reach the next round.

Cristiano Ronaldo has insisted that Real Madrid's 2-1 Champions League Group D loss away against Borussia Dortmund is not a big problem for the Liga giant as it remains well positioned to reach the knockout stages.





Madrid currently sits second in its section with six points from three games following Wednesday's defeat, and has a three-point lead over third-placed Ajax.

"There is no great drama because there are lot of matches left and we are still well positioned to progress," Cristiano Ronaldo stated to the official Madrid website. "We knew that it would be a difficult match against a good team that are very strong at home. That's football and the chances of winning are the same for each side when you play against a great team. 

"The team did well, but Dortmund's second goal was a little bit lucky.

"We realize that away from home it is becoming increasingly difficult to get anything from matches. We knew it would be difficult because we were playing a great opponent."

Real Madrid will be looking to return to winning ways at the weekend when it takes on Mallorca.

Casillas: Pepe not to blame for Dortmund defeat

The Spanish international insists his teammate cannot be held responsible for Los Merengues' bleak performance at the Westfalenstadion, insisting Dortmund was simply superior.




Iker Casillas has urged fans and media not to blame his defensive colleague Pepe for Real Madrid's loss to Borussia Dortmund.

Jurgen Klopp's men downed the reigning La Liga champions 2-1 on Wednesday, as Robert Lewandowski and Marcel Schmelzer scored the goals to boost Die Schwarzgelben's hopes of qualification.

Portguese international Pepe made a horrible mistake to gift their opponents the opening goal, as his limp pass allowed Lewandowski through on goal to finish. But Casillas preferred to turn the spotlight on Los Blancos' weaker left flank rather than apportion individual blame. 

"Pepe played a superb game, and you cannot judge him by that goal. We've been very good in defense and set pieces, but they [took advantage of] our left wing," the goalkeeper toldGoal.com.

Casillas acknowledged the fair result, stating that "the very best of Dortmund has taken to the field" and the 2-1 win was deserved.

Despite the loss, the Madrid stalwart remains optimistic of progression to the last 16 of Europe's elite club competition.

"Ajax have beaten Manchester City, so the second leg match [against Dortmund] will be very important. [It's] vital to get the victory to take the three points," Casillas said.

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Abidal, your struggle is our source of strength

Barça TV’s ‘Porta 104’ programme zeroed in on Éric Abidal this afternoon. The nine-minute documentary takes a look at the Frenchman’s trajectory since he was diagnosed with a live tumour. The documentary also highlights his return to competitive play in the semi-finals of the Champions League against Real Madrid; the trophy he lifted in Wembley; the support from his team-mates and the fans, and his return to training in Val d’Arán six months after his liver transplant surgery. 

The documentary’s title - ‘Abidal, your struggle is our source of strength’ - is a phrase that Tito Vilanova dedicated to the Frenchman after the Joan Gamper Trophy Estrella Damm match. The Barça manager reassured the Abidal that the team would wait - no matter how long - for his return.

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Juan Mata , turperon Arbeloan para gjith ekipit te Spanjes

AC Milan have to improve in attack, says Allegri

AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri remains confident his team will find their way out of trouble despite yet another setback in their Champions League match against Malaga.

"It's not part of my character to walk out," the unflappable coach told Italian media after Wednesday's 1-0 defeat in Spain.

"The situation in our Champions League group is positive and we have more need of points in the league."

Milan remained second in Group C with four points, although they have slipped five behind leaders Malaga and are only one ahead of Zenit St Petersburg. However, two of their remaining three games are at home.

After selling top players in the close season to balance the books, their situation in Serie A is desperate, with five defeats in eight games so far.

Allegri chose the Malaga game to try and new 3-4-3 formation and said he was pleased with the way things went.

"We did it well in the first half, not so much in the second but we will continue with the experiment," he said.

"Overall, we conceded very little in the entire game. Prior to scoring they had only managed to maintain possession of the ball," he added.

"A slip in concentration cost us the goal and the match. The team did well, created four or five good chances and did not give anything away in the first half.

"We have to improve in attack, we were not lucid enough in the final 30 metres.

"I think the team is more protected with this system and of course we will improve with practice. That's not to say we won't ever return to four at the back, but right now we need to find some balance."

Ambrose: Celtic 'fired up' for Barcelona clash

Getty Images

Efe Ambrose insists Celtic will not be intimidated when the team faces Barcelona in Tuesday’sChampions Leaguegame at Camp Nou.

The Bhoys arrived in Catalunya on Monday afternoon ahead of the encounter brimming with confidence, in “I will tell you honestly that we are fired up for this match and I believe we are in our best frame of mind to play this match,” Ambrose told Goal.com. “Barcelona is a great team and we respect them but honestly speaking we are going into the match to play our normal game and just enjoy ourselves. You know in football anything can happen and there are three expected results to win, draw or lose. In as much as we are not here in Spain to lose this match, we will accept any result we get here.

“It’s just about 11 players on each side playing against each other and it’s the 90 minutes of play that will tell. So we are not really under pressure to pay on Barcelona’s ground. One of my assets as a player is speed and how to recover quickly, so I am ready to put into use all my attributes to stop Lionel Messi and other strikers from doing the damage against us.

"Celtic has a very good squad with talented players and I believe the team has character to withstand any club side in Europe. We just have to play our normal game without tension as usual and we will surprise many.”

After scoring in last weekend’s game against St Mirren, the defender has set his sights on getting another goal against the Spanish giants.

“I am honestly praying within me to get on the scorers’ sheet on Tuesday. My scoring goals is the Lord’s doing and I give God all the glory and praises," he went on. “Even if I fail to score the most important thing is for the team to get a result. If we win I will be on top of the world and a draw is not bad either but we will do everything within our power and work very hard in the match to get the positive result we crave.”the midst of a six-game winning streak in the SPL.

Mourinho: Madrid loss to Borussia Dortmund is not dramatic

Jose Mourinho does not believe that Real Madrid's loss at the hands of Borussia Dortmundimpacts his team's chances of progressing to the Champions League round of 16.

Goals from Robert Lewandowski condemned Los Blancos to a 2-1 defeat and saw them replaced by the Bundesliga champions at the top of Group D, however the 49-year-old was adamant that it is not a huge blow to their ambitions.

"We lost the game, but it is not dramatic. We are in a serious group, it's no joke. It is not satisfying, but we are second," Mourinho said in his post-match press conference.

"We now have six points. We have two games at home and it is within our reach to get the points needed to make the round of 16.

"I told my players that they were going to score their goals on the counterattack, and so it happened. I knew they would only have spaces in the transition game.

"There was a lot of pressure and it was difficult to get a balance. There were few opportunities and little creation."

Ajax's triumph over Manchester City leaves the group wide open and so the visit of BVB to the Santiago Bernabeu in a fortnight could prove potentially decisive for Madrid.

Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Real Madrid: Schmelzer the hero as Los Blancos' miserable record in Germany continues

Borussia Dortmund secured a fantastic 2-1 win over Real Madrid with an energetic display in their Champions League clash at the Signal Iduna Park.

In an evenly contested fixture it was the reigning Bundesliga champions who struck first through Robert Lewandowski but just two minutes later Cristiano Ronaldo equalized with a stunning strike.

Although being the away side, Jose Mourinho's men had a far greater ball retention but that counted for nothing come the final whistle as Marcel Schmelzer's second-half strike ensured BVB took all three points.

The attacking nature of both sides was displayed from the off as neither side sat back in a very open and stretched start. 

With five minutes played, a loose pass from Marco Reus offered Real Madrid its first chance to work the keeper. Ronaldo charged down the left flank but Mesut Ozil was unable to connect with his cutback and steer the ball on target.

But this was by no means the start of an early Blancos onslaught as BVB proved itself capable of linking a number of passes together in the opposing half. 

One such move in the 13th minute created space for Sebastian Kehl to try his luck with a shot from distance but a scrambling Iker Casillas managed to get across and parry the ball aside.

Sami Khedira was replaced by Luka Modric due to injury after 20 minutes and although Mourinho's side enjoyed the lion's share of possession, the hosts were relatively comfortable.

After seeing another impressive effort saved by Casillas, Kehl continued to be Dortmund's driving force and that his involvement was key when his side moved ahead. 

Having read the play to pounce on a loose pass from Pepe, he slid a first-time pass straight into Lewandowski. The striker raced through a gap in the defense and fired a low effort past the keeper with 36 minutes played.

Madrid responded to going behind magnificently and managed to restore parity just two minutes later. A long ball forward from Ozil found Ronaldo in space on the left and with Sven Bender unable to make up the ground he lifted the ball over Roman Weidenfeller for a superb finish.

The second half began in a similarly electric fashion to that of the first as Casillas was called into action within five minutes. Mario Gotze sent Lukasz Piszczek's cut back straight down the middle and, although unsighted, the keeper parried it aside.

Five minutes later Schmelzer put enough pressure on Angel Di Maria to stop the Argentine from finding the bottom corner and the BVB left back then displayed his ability at the other end of the field. 

Casillas could only punch a cross from the left and it fell to Schmelzer 20 yards from goal and the Germany international showed fantastic technique to rifle a volley into the bottom corner in the 64th minute.

Dortmund managed to contain the Liga champions from then on, dispelling the accusations of naivety that were hanging over them following last season's premature exit.

The three points see Jurgen Klopp's men take charge of Group D as they move one point above the Spanish side and into pole position ahead of the return fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu in a fortnight.

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