GROUP G: Auxerre 0 Real Madrid 1:REAL MADRID were made to wait for a late Angel Di Maria goal which earned them victory at Auxerre in their Champions League match last night.
Second-half substitute Di Maria volleyed home from inside the area nine minutes from time to send Real top of the group standings on six points.
Auxerre were on the back foot throughout the match but proved dangerous on the break and under-pressure Real defender Pepe even headed the ball against his own post from a cross shortly before Di Maria broke the deadlock.
The home side were content to reach the interval with a clean sheet after Olivier Sorin pulled off a few good saves to deny Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo, who earns more than three times Auxerre’s €30 million annual budget.
After the break, Auxerre looked more composed and Ireneusz Jelen collected a through ball only for the Poland striker to fire just wide at the hour.
Real stepped up a gear after Karim Benzema was replaced by Mesut Ozil and Di Maria came in for Lassana Diarra.
Just as an embarrassing goalless draw loomed for Real, Argentine Di Maria chested the ball down in the area before volleying into Sorin’s bottom left-hand corner.
Real Madrid next face AC Milan at home on October 19th, while Auxerre travel to Ajax Amsterdam.
AUXERRE:Sorin, Hengbart, Coulibaly, Grichting, Dudka, Contout (Jelen 46), Pedretti, Ndinga, Langil (Traore 77), Oliech, Chafni (Quercia 88). Subs not used: Riou, Birsa, Sammaritano, Berthod. Booked: Jelen, Traore.
REAL MADRID:Casillas, Arbeloa, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Khedira, Alonso, Lassana Diarra (Di Maria 73), Higuain (Mahamadou Diarra 86), Benzema (Ozil 58), Ronaldo. Subs not used: Dudek, Granero, Mateos, Juan Carlos. Booked: Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Lassana Diarra.
Referee:C Bo Larsen (Denmark).
Di Maria 81
Att:24,900
