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| Karim Benzema tapped in the opener to record Real’s 1,000th goal in European football’s elite club competition |
Karim Benzema struck twice to lead Real Madrid to an unconvincing 2-1 home win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday and move the Spanish side provisionally three points clear at the top of Champions League Group D.
Real lead the standings with nine points, three more than Moldova’s Sheriff who face Inter Milan later on Wednesday.
Real went ahead in the 15th minute when Vinicius Jr. stole the ball from a Shakhtar defender and set up Benzema to score with a powerful shot from inside the box.
Ukraine’s Shakhtar equalised five minutes before halftime with a stunning counter-attack finished off by Fernando.
Benzema and Vinicius Jr. combined again for the Real winner just after the hour mark, the latter linking up well with Casemiro before teeing up the France striker to find the net again.
