Cristiano Ronaldo ended a rare three-game scoring drought with the first goal in Real Madrid’s record-equalling 10th successive Champions League victory on Wednesday, beating Schalke 2-0 in Germany.
The holders, whose other goal came through Brazilian Marcelo in the second-half, will be expected to ease through to the quarter-finals when they Schalke in the second leg next month.
Real’s victory equalled Bayern Munich’s record for consecutive victories, set in 2013.
Schalke at least avoided a hammering; Real defeated them 6-1 at this stage a year ago.
“It’s clear that Cristiano Ronaldo lives to score goals,” said Real coach Carlo Ancelotti.
“It’s not a problem for us if he doesn’t score for a game or two but it’s obvious that the goal did him good.
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“It wasn’t only a goal for the statistics. It was an important goal – the lead goal. At a key stage of the season it was important to win and I think we’re on the right track.”
Honours were even in the night’s other game, where the Swiss side Basel were held 1-1 by the visiting Portuguese side Porto, who won the competition in 2004.
Basel coach Paulo Sousa said: “I am really happy with this result as it was a very difficult match. With this result it still gives us every chance in Porto.”
Basel have never reached the quarter-finals of the European championship in its current form.
Ronaldo ended his drought with a neatly taken header in the 27th minute to move him closer to both the overall goals record in all European competitions and the Champions League.
Schalke suffered a further blow when their talented forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, formerly of Real Madrid, had to go off with a leg injury shortly after the half-hour mark.
The German side, though, did not collapse as they did against the same opponents last year and had chances of their own, principally through Felix Platte, whose fierce drive beat Iker Casillas but came back off the crossbar.
Real doubled their lead as Marcelo struck with a fine effort after being set up by Ronaldo.
Schalke coach Roberto di Matteo conceded that the difference in class between the two teams had told.
“The quality made all the difference,” said Di Matteo, who guided Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2012.
“Real had three chances and took two of them. Perhaps if our shot had not hit the bar and gone in things would have been different.”
Basel made a fine start as Paraguayan striker Derlis Gonzalez did well to stroke the ball into the Porto goal despite being off-balance.
He, however, had to go off feeling dizzy after a clash with the opposing goalkeeper.
“We don’t know exactly what happened but it was as if he had been knocked out,” Sousa said. “He didn’t feel good at all and he certainly couldn’t play on.”
The visitors, who enjoyed an unbeaten group-stage campaign, had two goals ruled out for infringements.
The second decision seemed harsh as Casemiro shot home through a crowd of players. However, English referee Mark Clattenburg, who booked nine players in the game, ruled it out after a long consultation with his assistants.
The visitors got an equaliser from the penalty spot, Danilo converting after 36-year-old Argentinian defender Walter Samuel was penalised for handling the ball.
Porto coach Julen Lopetegui said a defeat would have been disappointing.
“Basel were very good on the counter-attack in the first-half,” the Spaniard said. “We dominated after the goal but it was difficult for us.
“The goal that was ruled out early in the second-half surprised me a lot and it took four minutes to take the decision.
“However, overall it was a very good performance by us.”
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The five pillars of Islam
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Paris Can Wait
Dir: Eleanor Coppola
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Diane Lane, Arnaud Viard
Two stars
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
RACECARD
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
SPECS
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
How it works
A $10 hand-powered LED light and battery bank
Device is operated by hand cranking it at any time during the day or night
The charge is stored inside a battery
The ratio is that for every minute you crank, it provides 10 minutes light on the brightest mode
A full hand wound charge is of 16.5minutes
This gives 1.1 hours of light on high mode or 2.5 hours of light on low mode
When more light is needed, it can be recharged by winding again
The larger version costs between $18-20 and generates more than 15 hours of light with a 45-minute charge
No limit on how many times you can charge
The Ashes
Results
First Test, Brisbane: Australia won by 10 wickets
Second Test, Adelaide: Australia won by 120 runs
Third Test, Perth: Australia won by an innings and 41 runs
Fourth Test: Melbourne: Drawn
Fifth Test: Australia won by an innings and 123 runs
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
RESULTS
5pm: Rated Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: AF Mouthirah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
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6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Hawafez, Connor Beasley, Abubakar Daud
6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Tair, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Wakeel W’Rsan, Richard Mullen, Jaci Wickham
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m
Winner: Son Of Normandy, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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