Real cruise into last 16, Liverpool blow 3-goal lead
22 Nov 2017 5:38 PM GMT
Paris: Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as holders Real Madrid thrashed APOEL 6-0 in Cyprus to reach the Champions League last 16, while Liverpool blew a three-goal lead in a thriller at Sevilla.
Zinedine Zidane's Real bounced back from their 3-1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur last time out by crushing APOEL, with four of the goals coming before half-time.
"It was a very good evening for us," said Zidane.
"We're on the right track. We're doing things well and we're building in strength. It's never easy but it was a complete display and we scored quickly."
The record 12-time winners had to wait until the 23rd minute to take the lead through Luka Modric, but a run of five goals in 15 minutes either side of half-time sent them through in style.
Karim Benzema put worries about his recent form to bed with a double either side of a Nacho effort, before Ronaldo got in on the act after the break.
The Portuguese climbed highest to power a header into the corner from an inviting Marcelo cross.
And the 32-year-old, who has only scored once in eight La Liga appearances this season, scored his eighth Champions League goal this term with an excellent left-footed finish from a tight angle.
Tottenham sealed top spot in Group H with a come-from- behind 2-1 victory at Borussia Dortmund.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang put the hosts ahead, but with Real's thumping win sending Dortmund out, Spurs levelled through Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min curled in a 76th-minute winner.
Five-time champions Liverpool threw away a last-16 spot as Sevilla roared back from three goals down at half-time to draw 3-3.
Liverpool looked to be cruising into the knockout stage for the first time since 2008/09 when Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane both scored from flicked-on corners.
A rout similar to the 7-0 thrashing of Maribor in Slovenia earlier in the group phase looked on the cards when Firmino tapped in number three, but Sevilla staged a stirring second-half comeback.
Wissam Ben Yedder beat Alberto Moreno to nod in a free- kick, before slotting in a penalty.
And Argentinian Guido Pizarro struck in the third minute of injury-time to complete the fightback and leave Jurgen Klopp's visitors deflated.
"Fantastic first half and in the second half we made the mistake that we didn't continue playing football," said Klopp.
"We have to control the game with the ball and we didn't play football."
Elsewhere in Group E, Russian champions Spartak Moscow saw their chances hit by an injury-time equaliser in a 1-1 home draw with Maribor.
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