Real Madrid suffered an embarrassing 3-4 defeat against Shalke at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday night, March 10 but narrowly escaped being knocked out of UEFA Champions League. The current UCL holders progressed to the quarter-finals on a 5-4 goals aggregate, thanks to its 2-0 win in Germany during the earlier fixture.
Although, Cristiano Ronaldo proved his mettle and his contention for another Ballon d’Or crown by scoring a brace in the game, ultimately becoming the all-time top scorer in European club competitions at 78 goals, the poor performance of the star-studded squad has put a question mark on the possibility of Real Madrid clinching major titles this year.
The defeat against Shalke, the second loss to a less formidable opponent in three days left many club fans frustrated as they jeered and waved white handkerchiefs in remonstration of their unhappiness at their sloppy showing throughout the match.
Expectedly, Ronaldo left the Santiago Bernabeu angry at Real Madrid’s dreadful form and vowed not to talk publicly again until the end of the season. “I won’t talk again until the end of the season,” Ronaldo told reporters, as he battled frustration.
EUROPEAN TOP SCORERS (INCLUDING UEFA SUPER CUP)
78: Cristiano Ronaldo (Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid)
77: Raul (Real Madrid, Schalke)
76: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
70: FilippoInzaghi (Parma, Juventus, AC Milan)
67: Andriy Shevchenko (Dynamo Kyiv, AC Milan, Chelsea)
62: Gerd Muller (Bayern Munich)
62: Ruud van Nistelrooy (Heerenveen, PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Hamburger)
59: Thierry Henry (Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona)
59: Henrik Larsson (Feyenoord, Celtic, Barcelona, Helsingborgs)
56: Eusebio (Benfica)
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By Olisemeka Obeche
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