Half-Time Report: Karim Benzema brace puts Malmo on the brink of elimination

A pair of first-half goals from Karim Benzema and a Cristiano Ronaldo strike have given Real Madrid a 3-0 lead over Malmo in the Champions League and put the Swedes on the brink of European elimination.

The hosts took control of the possession early on and could have opened the scoring with four minutes on the clock as Benzema shot straight at Johan Wiland after being released by Toni Kroos.

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It was Benzema who broke the deadlock for Real in the 12th minute, the Frenchman on hand to guide the ball over the line after Isco's header from Ronaldo's cross was blocked on the line.

Real made it two in the 24th minute when Ronaldo played in a deft cross from wide on the left, which Benzema met with a looping header that lobbed Wiland in the Malmo goal.

The La Liga giants netted a third six minutes before the break through a Ronaldo free kick that Wiland made a hash of, allowing the Portuguese international's strike to creep into the bottom corner and leave his side with a three-goal deficit to overturn in the second half.