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Goals from Eden Hazard and substitute Rodrygo helped Real Madrid to a crucial 2-0 win over Inter Milan at the San Siro in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Los Blancos traveled to Italy knowing that securing a win or loss could have serious ramifications for their prospects of qualifying for the round of 16 of Europe’s premier club competition.
Barcelona and Seville have qualified for the knockout phase with two matches to spare, so Madrid and their neighbors, Atlético de Madrid, were keen to follow suit.
Eden Hazard put Madrid up. The Belgian playmaker coldly converted his penalty after Nacho was brought down in the area, sending his shot low and to the right. The goalkeeper got it right but couldn’t help it.
Then, at 32 minutes, former Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal saw red for Inter. The referee gave him two yellow cards in a row for complaining excessively after he was not awarded what he deemed to be a penalty.
Madrid continued their strong performance after the second half restarted and doubled their lead just before the hour. Rodrygo had just arrived when he scored with his first touch, a clever shot after an excellent cross from Lucas Vázquez.
The Whites have been stuttering domestically this season and are currently in fourth place in La Liga, and they hope back-to-back wins over Inter will demonstrate the arm shot that routinely gives them European success.
Madrid are now second in Group B of the Champions League, one point behind Borussia Monchengladbach, three from Shakhtar Donetsk and five from Inter, the last classified.
Featured image courtesy of Real Madrid CF.
