LONDON: Spanish clubs gave another demonstration of their efficiency in Europe when Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla began their Champions League campaigns without conceding a goal in convincing victories on Tuesday.

Real, the record 10-times winners and 2014 champions, crushed 10-man Shakhtar Donetsk 4-0 at the Bernabeu, Atletico won 2-0 at Galatasaray and Europa League holders Sevilla thumped Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-0 at the Sanchez Pizjuan.

The success of Spanish clubs marked a sharp contrast with their rivals from the English Premier League — and Manchester in particular — with Manchester United and Manchester City both surrendering their lead in 2-1 defeats at PSV Eindhoven and at home to Juventus.

After a quiet start to the season by his standards, Cristiano Ronaldo is back with a very loud bang.

Having failed to score in four consecutive games for club and country, the Real star has scored eight goals in four days. He followed up his five-goal haul at the weekend with a hat-trick as Madrid caned Shakhtar in Group ‘A’.

It also took him three goals clear of great rival Lionel Messi in the all-time Champions League top scorers chart with 80.

Karim Benzema gave Real the lead on the half hour, then the Ukrainians fell apart after the rather harsh sending-off of Taras Stepanenko.

Real were then given a ridiculous penalty for a supposed handball by Darijo Srna, and Ronaldo made it 2-0 from the spot.

Eight minutes later Ronaldo increased Real’s lead from a second disputed penalty, then completed his latest hat-trick by heading in a centre from left-back Marcelo.

“Before I was bad and now I am good because I score eight goals,” Ronaldo told Spanish television.

Angel Di Maria scored his first goal for Paris St Germain in a 2-0 win against Swedish side Malmo in the group’s other game.

Di Maria started paying back his $68.9 million price tag with his first goal for PSG after just four minutes when the Argentina winger, who helped Real win their 10th European Cup in 2014, curled the ball majestically into the top left corner after cutting in from the right.

Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani added a second on the hour mark at the Parc des Princes as he headed home a Zlatan Ibrahimovic flick from Maxwell’s left-wing cross.

Antoine Griezmann struck twice for Atletico, the 2014 runners-up, as Diego Simeone’s side made light work in Group ‘C’ of what can be an intimidating trip to Galatasaray’s stadium in Istanbul.

In the same group, Benfica beat Kazakh debutants Astana 2-0, with goals from Nicolas Gaitan and Konstantinos Mitroglou at the Stadium of Light in Lisbon.

SEVILLE: Borussia Moenchengladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer looks on as Sevilla’s Jose Antonio Reyes attacks a cross at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.—AFP

An excellent night for Spain was completed by Sevilla, who trounced Moenchengladbach — who have lost all four Bundesliga matches this season — in Group ‘D’ thanks to penalties converted by Kevin Gameiro and Ever Banega, then a third goal from Yevheniy Konoplyanka.

DREADFUL NIGHT

It was a dreadful night in Manchester as perennial European under-achievers City lost 2-1 at home to last season’s finalists Juventus in the other Group ‘D’ game.

Juve, last year’s runner-up to Barcelona, left it late as Alvaro Morata scored an 81st-minute winner after City had taken the lead.

“I don’t think we deserved to lose. We had better chances and played better than Juventus,” City coach Manuel Pellegrini said. “It was not a tactical problem, Juventus just scored two beautiful goals.”

City took the lead at the Etihad Stadium in controversial fashion as Vincent Kompany pressured Giorgio Chiellini into scoring an own goal on 57 minutes.

Mario Mandzukic glanced home a whipped cross from Paul Pogba to equalise on 70 minutes, before Morata curled in the winner from outside the penalty area after a long ball forward was deflected into his path for Juve’s first win in England since 1996.

Manchester’s misery was compounded by United suffering a miserable return to the Champions League after a 12-month hiatus as full-back Luke Shaw suffered a double fracture to his leg.

Shaw’s terrible injury saw him taken to hospital, and will now require an operation.

MADRID: Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo scores with a penalty against Shakhtar Donetsk at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.—Reuters

“It’s horrible. When he was going in the dressing room, he was with the oxygen mask, he was crying,” said United manager Louis van Gaal.

Asked how long he thought Shaw’s recovery would take Van Gaal said: “I am not a doctor, so I can’t say. A double fracture, it generally takes six months, but you can never say in advance.”

The England international was surging into the box when he was crunched by a dangerous tackle from Mexico international Hector Moreno.

“I’m really sorry. I think I played the ball,” said Moreno. “I just hope he’ll be back as soon as possible.”

Memphis Depay gave United the lead against his former club with a sublime goal on 41 minutes, dribbling between two defenders and shooting through the goalkeeper’s legs.

But Moreno, who was perhaps lucky just to still be on the pitch, let alone to have not even given away a foul for his challenge, equalised through a deflected header from a corner just before the break.

If that equaliser was against the run of play, PSV’s second had an element of smash-and-grab about it as Luciano Narsingh headed home a deep cross from Maxime Lestienne.

The Dutch champions top Group ‘B’ ahead of VfL Wolfsburg, who beat CSKA Moscow 1-0 thanks to Germany midfielder Julian Draxler’s first goal for the club.

Draxler, brought in from Bundesliga rivals Schalke 04 to replace Kevin de Bruyne after he left to join Manchester City, struck five minutes before the break.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2015

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