Shakhtar Donetsk Real Madrid 2-0: Zinedine Zidane’s team falls out of qualifying positions

Real Madrid’s hopes of reaching the round of 16 for the 24th consecutive season are hanging by a thread after Zinedine Zidane’s side were beaten again by Shakhtar Donetsk.

Dentinho and Manor Solomon scored in the second half for Shakhtar, who won the reverse match 3-2 in Madrid.

Borussia Monchengladbach can be classified as group champion with a win over Inter Milan winless later (20:00 GMT).

The Spanish champions, currently fourth in La Liga, did not have injured pair Eden Hazard and captain Sergio Ramos, but welcomed the talisman Karim Benzema for his return to the stadium where they were last crowned European champions in 2018.

Real got off to a good start when Marco Asensio hit the post in the fifth minute and Benzema put goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin into action.

Trubin flipped after Asensio’s powerful shot before the break and denied Benzema again, before substitute Dentinho pounced on Raphael Varane’s mistake to score on the hosts’ second shot on goal in the 57th minute.

Rather than retreat, Shakhtar pressed for a second and earned his reward with eight minutes left when Solomon shot into the bottom corner.

Shakhtar had not scored in three group stage matches since defeating Real in October, conceding a total of 10 goals in consecutive strong defeats of leader Borussia Monchengladbach.

But the Ukrainian team, with their superior head-to-head record, now have the advantage over Real heading into the final round of matches next week.

An early departure for Real?

Zidane’s side have struggled to stay consistent this season and suffered a surprising 2-1 loss to Alavés in La Liga on Saturday, extending their domestic winless streak to three games.

Real got off to a nightmarish start to their European campaign as they followed their humiliating loss to second-row Shakhtar with a 2-2 draw at Monchengladbach, courtesy of a dramatic late comeback.

Back-to-back victories over Inter Milan seemed to have rescued the La Liga team, but another famous victory for Luis Castro’s team has left qualification open for the round of 16.

Four victories in their last 11 matches in all competitions represent a worrying form for Zidane’s men, who are seven points behind the leaders Real Sociedad in Spain, albeit one match less.

They now face the very real prospect of an unthinkable early exit from Europe’s elite club competition heading into their final group match against Mönchengladbach next Wednesday.