Riding on goals by Tony Kroos and Marco Asensio, Real Madrid defeated Inter Milan 2-0 in the Group D Champions League match on Tuesday. 

Midfielder Kroos’ left-footed strike
from the edge of the box in the 17th minute gave Madrid the lead, only for
Asensio to double it in the second half. The Spaniard, coming off the bench,
picked up the ball at the corner of the penalty area and curled it into the top
left corner off the woodwork. 

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Nicolo Barella’s send-off gave the team
the necessary edge to win five of their six fixtures in Europe this season. Carlo
Ancelotti’s team has ended the group stage with 15 points and are ahead of Simone Inzaghi’s Inter Milan by 5 points. Both the teams have moved on to round of 16,
with Real Madrid topping the group stage, and Inter Milan coming in second.

Ancelotti commented
on the win, saying that his team had performed in the first phase of the
competition. Now, the plan remains to focus on the upcoming La Liga fixture in
February, and to do as best as possible in this competition as well.

Speaking
of Inter Milan’s gameplay, Ancelotti commented that the team had more
possession. They needed to win but Real Madrid scored first. Further, he said
that Madrid’s defence line is strong, and the team is well-positioned in the back.
As per the manager, Inter dominating possession is not a huge problem. His philosophy remains that games
are not won by possession, but by scoring goals.

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While Karim
Benzema’s presence was missed, Ancelotti has created a team which functions like a machine and is more than just a sum of its parts.
Luka Modric, the Croat magician, stepped in for a great performance along with
Militao, who bravely held the line of defence. The Los Blancos, as Real Madrid is often called, face rivals Atletico Madrid next, on December 13, 2021.