22.11.2016 » Sporting 1-2 Real Madrid. Benzema comes off the bench to get the win

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Real Madrid visited Sporting CP in Lisbon this Tuesday night and came out of Portugal with the 3 points thanks to a late goal from Karim Benzema. The Merengues will now play with Borussia Dortmund in their next fixture to decide who finishes on the top of the group.

It was a special night for Cristiano Ronaldo, who had another chance to return to his first home in football. Real Madrid travelled to Lisbon and defeated Sporting CP by inflicting the home side a painful 1-2 loss. Raphael Varane scored his first goal in Europe for Madrid to put the visitors in front, but Jorge Jesus' men got the equalizer later in the second half, when Adrien converted a penalty-kick in the 80th minute. The decisive moment of this game would only took place shortly after though, with Karim Benzema delivering the winner with a perfect header. Real Madrid are now through to the next stage of the UEFA Champions League and they can still finish on the top of their group if they beat Borussia Dortmund in 2 weeks time.

Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Sporting vs Real Madrid
Sporting 1-2 Real Madrid - Goals and highlights:

All Cristiano Ronaldo actions vs Sporting:

Real Madrid left it late, but still persevered in the end with a 2-1 victory over Sporting Lisbon, setting up a crucial final tie with Borussia Dortmund for first place in the group. Zinedine Zidane stuck with the same lineup that beat Atletico Madrid 0-3 on the weekend, but the performances today were far worse. With a lackluster midfield performance, Sporting had their way at times and Modric in particular found it hard to deal with Adrien Silva and William Carvalho, who did a good job shutting the Croatian down.

In the end, it was a tight game, but Madrid were lackluster after taking the lead: The team seemed too content to just hold onto the ball and pass it between the defenders and wings.

Madrid's first goal came courtesy of Raphael Varane. The French defender latched onto a loose ball in the box (after a mishit Cristiano Ronaldo shot) and finished it beating Rui Patricio for 1-0 in the 29th minute.

But it all looked to come to an end in the 80th minute when Fábio Coentrão, while appealing a handball by the former Arsenal striker Joel Campbell, saw the ball inadvertently ricochet off his hand while he was in the box. A controversial call, but ultimately an unlucky one, as Sporting were awarded a penalty. Adrien Silva stepped up and buried it past Navas and Madrid were again looking at a draw against Sporting.

But just like the last match at the Bernabéu, Madrid left it late and Sporting's dreams were eventually crushed as a late match winner sent the Portugese team out of the tournament.

Sergio Ramos' cross was met by Benzema and the Frenchman wasted no time heading it past the keeper for the match winner. Benzema, who has come under scrutiny in recent weeks for his poor effort, peeled off in celebration perhaps getting some of those demons off of his back. A great moment for the Frenchman.

Real Madrid would hold on to win 2-1 and secure their qualification for the next round. In what was a tough week, Madrid still ended up with two victories and while this performance left a little to be desired, the team is currently flying high.

On a side note, Real Madrid's injury woes continued as Gareth Bale walked off during the match. We have to wait and see the extent of the injury, but let's hope he'll be fit in time for the upcoming Clasico against Barcelona on December 3.

Author: Terrance Ross

Real Madrid line-up vs Sporting:

Goalkeeper: Navas
Defenders: Marcelo, Varane, Ramos, Carvajal
Midfielders: Kovacic, Modric, Isco, Lucas Vázquez
Attackers: Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo next game is a La Liga fixture for Real Madrid on November 26 of 2016, against Sporting Gijón. You can watch Juventus live stream, Real Madrid vs Sporting Gijón, Celtic vs Barcelona, Borussia Monchengladbach vs Manchester City, Arsenal vs PSG, and FC Rostov vs Bayern Munich, all matches provided from our stream sports game pages.

Real Madrid next game:
Real Madrid vs Sporting Gijón kick-off time (26-11-2016):

Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 23:15
Jakarta (Indonesia) | UTC/GMT+7: 22:15
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 20:45
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+1: 16:15
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+0: 15:15
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-2: 13:15
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 11:15
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 08:15

Sources: ronaldo7.net / realmadrid.com / goal.com / uefa.com

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