Real Madrid 4-1 Ajax. Easy victory in a calm night at the Bernabéu

Real Madrid earned their 3rd win out of 6 matches in the UEFA Champions League Group D, after defeating Ajax by 4-1, this Tuesday night at the Santiago Bernabéu. Cristiano Ronaldo, Callejón (2) and Kaká scored for theMerengues, who have now gone through to theUCL last-16 stage in Group D's 2nd place, behind the German champions, Borussia Dortmund. At the other half of the table, Ajaxsecured the 3rd place and will playing in theEuropa League, while Manchester City will go home without a single victory.

There wasn't much at stake this Tuesday night at the Santiago Bernabéu, since Real Madrid had already secured Group D's 2nd place and Ajax could only jeopardise their chances to qualify to the Europa League if Manchester City managed to beatBorussia Dortmund, in Germany. The most predictable scenario ended up happening, as Real Madrid easily got past Ajax by 4-1 and Borussia Dortmund won their game against City, by 1-0. After a long series of games without scoring having been recently interrupted against Atletico Madrid, Ronaldo managed to help his team once again, by scoring the opener while still inside the first 15 minutes of the game.Callejón with a brace and Kaká with a great finish completed the scoreline for theMerengues and help assuring that Ajax wouldn't come out with any point from theBernabéu. At this stage, Real Madrid already knows their next opponent at the last-16 stage will certainly be a team that has clinched their own Champions Leaguegroup, but the match-ups will only be drawn later this month.

Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Real Madrid vs Ajax
Real Madrid 4-1 Ajax goals and highlights:

José Mourinho preferred not to risk Sergio Ramos and Xabi Alonso presence for the last-16 stage, as both players could miss Real Madrid's next European game if they were shown a yellow card. The Portuguese coach allowed the two Spanishplayers to rest for this Tuesday night game, but didn't abdicate from picking a strong line-up with players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, Callejón and Karim Benzemastarring on the front-line.

The Merengues reached the lead with only 13 minutes played in the game, as Ajaxended showing their well known defensive weaknesses. The goal architect was Luka Modric, who started by recovering a ball in a sliding tackle still deep in Real Madrid's half, then ran with it several meters ahead, just before spotting Karim Benzema escaping from Ajax's back line. The Croatian midfielder sent a long ball into Benzema's direction, who would then fail to control the ball in perfect conditions and saw himself forced to find a teammate free of marking inside Ajax's area. TheFrenchman passed the ball into the penalty spot zone, where Cristiano Ronaldo had no problems in striking it hard, to give Real Madrid the lead.

Luka Modric would shine again not much time later, when he assisted José Maria Callejón in the 28th minute, for another Real Madrid goal. The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder made a very similar pass to the one he had already made in the first goal play, but this time to Callejón, who controlled the ball perfectly. TheSpanish midfielder showed his great finishing skills seconds later, as his shot went easily past Vermeer, before touching the post and going in. The 2-0 had just been set and Ajax was far from posing a real threat to José Mourinho's men at the Santiago Bernabéu, at least during that stage of the game.

Real Madrid went to the half-time break knowing Ajax would hardly be cabable of still surprising them this Tuesday night. As the 2nd half started, the Merenguesreached their 3rd goal of the night, after Cristiano Ronaldo assisted Kaká for a brilliant finish, in one of his typical curled shots outside the penalty area. TheBrazilian ace, who is yet to score in La Liga this season, has not been a starter forReal Madrid in many games so far, which may somehow explain why this has only been his 2nd goal in the on-going 2012-2013 Merengues campaign and his 1st in thisUEFA Champions League edition.

After Kaká's goal, Real Madrid has drastically slowed down the pace of their game and from that point onwards, it was Ajax who held most of the ball possession. It was no surprise to see the Dutch side cutting the lead to two goals in the 59th minute, after a misunderstanding between Adán (who was replacing Casillas on the goal) and the Portuguese center defender, Ricardo Carvalho. The two collided when a ball was sent high towards Real Madrid area and Adán only managed to clear the ball a few meters away. Unfortunately, the ball landed near Ajax forward, Derk Boerrigter, who simply had to push it forward to get the goal for his side.

With an important away game for La Liga, scheduled for this Saturday against Real Valladolid, Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates handed the game control to the opposing side, as they spent most of the 2nd half chasing the ball and making sure they wouldn't concede more goalscoring chances for Ajax to get back into the game. The Portuguese player is expected to be a starter again this Saturday, but on Sunday, he might just relax and watch his former club playing the Manchester derby against City, who finished last night falling to the hands of Borussia Dortmund inGermany. You'll be able to follow Manchester City vs Manchester United for theEnglish Premier League, from our football live streaming section page.

Back to the game, with Real Madrid apparently asleep during most of the 2nd half, it has been Ajax who actually dominated the midfield and with it, most of the ball possession. However, during the final minutes of the game José Mourinho decided to bring on a few Canteranos such as Jesé Rodríguez and Alvaro Morata, which allowed the Merengues to gain a bit more dynamism in the remaining attacking initiatives. The final 4-1 score was set in the 88th minute, in a play that has started precisely in Morata's feet, with the Spanish forward getting around a defender just before going down the line to put in a perfect cross. Callejón saw it coming with plenty of time and headed it flawlessly into the goal, completing his UEFA Champions League brace this Tuesday night.

Real Madrid line-up vs Ajax:

Goalkeeper: Adán
Defenders: Fábio Coentrão, Varane, Ricardo Carvalho, Nacho
Midfielders: Khedira, Modric, Kaká
Attackers: Callejón, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema

Real Madrid	vs	Ajax
4	Goals	1
19	Shots	11
15	Shots on goal	7
7	Corner kicks	5
9	Fouls commited	14
2	Yellow cards	0
0	Red cards	0
45%	Ball possession	55%

Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Real Madrid will be against Real Valladolid, for another Spanish League 'La Liga' matchday, next Saturday (08-12-2012). You can watch Valladolid vs Real Madrid, Barcelona vs Benfica, Manchester City vs Manchester United, and Chelsea vs Nordjsaelland, all matches provided from our live soccer section.

Real Madrid next game:
Real Madrid vs Real Valladolid kick-off time (08-12-2012):

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