Real Madrid Thrash Salzburg 5-1 to Keep Title Defense Alive
![Real Madrid Thrash Salzburg 5-1 to Keep Title Defense Alive](https://eg-test-assetsmansionsportsnewscom.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/articles/image-1318x720-17-17376109541029.jpg?X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAZTH7KZYCHFXKL3NL%2F20250215%2Fap-southeast-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20250215T144024Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=60000&X-Amz-Signature=0d50dd7a908e2fcb53401f2131dd15f48baa6f6cbee7faf514d60c06a3ca2549)
Real Madrid boosted their Champions League title defense with a commanding 5-1 victory over Red Bull Salzburg, eliminating the Austrians from contention. After a shaky start to their campaign, with three losses in their first six games, Madrid found their rhythm and delivered a dominant performance, spearheaded by Rodrygo’s first-half brace. Kylian Mbappe added another goal while Vinicius Jr. netted twice, taking his tally to 101 goals for the club.
This victory, along with favorable results elsewhere, secured Madrid at least a play-off spot, leaving them just one point shy of automatic qualification. They will face Brest in their final group match next week. Salzburg with only one win from seven league-phase games have been eliminated from the competition. Their only consolation was a late volley from Mads Bidstrup.
Despite starting strong with Oscar Gloukh narrowly missing the target early on, Salzburg couldn’t withstand Madrid’s powerful attack. Madrid opened the scoring in the 23rd minute with Rodrygo converting a cross from Vinicius. They doubled their lead before halftime with another brilliant strike from Rodrygo, following a slick one-two with Jude Bellingham. The game was effectively sealed early in the second half when Mbappe capitalized on a mistake from Salzburg’s goalkeeper, Janis Blaswich, to score.
Vinicius added a fourth, cutting inside from the left and curling in a beautiful effort. He completed his brace with a cool finish after a fluid passing move, starting from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. The victory was a much-needed confidence boost for Madrid, who had struggled in the group stage. Despite their early-season issues, the star-studded frontline with Rodrygo, Mbappe and Vinicius in top form, led the charge.
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