Defending champions Real Madrid travelled to Basel this evening with maximum points from their previous four Champions League Group B matches.
Another victory would guarantee them top spot, and that is what they got courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo's 71st goal in the competition midway through the first half.
The result was Madrid's 15th consecutive win in all competitions and ensured that Liverpool would have a chance of joining them in the knockout stages ahead of the final round of fixtures next month.
Read Sports Mole's live text coverage below to see how the action unfolded in Switzerland.
Evening, all. Real Madrid have already qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League, but their sheer domination of Group B means that second spot is still well and truly up for grabs.
Los Blancos have scored 11 goals and conceded only two in the process of winning all four of their games, and Basel are the next rabbits in the headlights at St. Jakob-Park tonight.
The Swiss outfit are currently second to the European champions with six points, and could qualify for the knockout stages themselves if they better Liverpool's result against Ludogorets Razgrad.
The Reds will be looking for a favour from Real, who have beaten them twice in the past month. I shall keep you up to date with the latest from Bulgaria, but now team news for this one!
BASEL: Vaclik, Degen, Schar, Suchy, Safari, Elneny, Frei, Zuffi, Gonzalez, Embolo, Gashi
Subs: Samuel, Delgado, Kakitani, Diaz, Vailati, Hamoudi, Calla
Subs: Samuel, Delgado, Kakitani, Diaz, Vailati, Hamoudi, Calla
REAL: Navas; Arbeloa, Varane, Ramos, Coentrao; Isco, Kroos; James, Bale, Ronaldo; Benzema
Subs: Casillas, Marcelo, Nacho, Illarramendi, Medran, Torro, Hernandez
Subs: Casillas, Marcelo, Nacho, Illarramendi, Medran, Torro, Hernandez
Boy we could be in for a show tonight, with Ancelotti starting Isco, James Rodriguez, Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in the most envied attacking lineup in the world.
It is the same front six which started the 4-0 thrashing of Eibar on Saturday - Real's 14th successive win all all competitions - but there are changes in the back five as Alvaro Arbeloa, Raphael Varane and Fabian Coentrao come in for Pepe, Dani Carvajal and Marcelo. Oh the luxury.
There is also a change in goal as Keylor Navas deputises for the rested Iker Casillas. Luka Modric faces a three-month layoff, so Sami Khedira's absence from the squad speaks volumes about his future.
Basel are missing captain and five-goal striker Marco Streller, but do possess a goal threat in the form of Shkelzen Gashi, who has nine in the league this term and one in his only UCL start. They hand a start to 17-year-old striker Breel Embolo, who is regarded as one of Europe's top teens.
Familiar names in the home lineup may be one-time Liverpool full-back Philipp Degen and reported Arsenal target Fabian Schar. Veteran Argentine Walter Samuel, formerly of Real Madrid, is on the bench.
HEAD-TO-HEAD: A first-half blitz saw Madrid win the reverse fixture at the Bernabeu 5-1 in September, on a night when Ronaldo, Bale, James and Benzema were all on the scoresheet.
PREDICTION: Basel have won their last three Champions League games at home and are unbeaten in eight domestic matches, but Real are a different beast. The Swiss are no walkovers, ask Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs, but Madrid should have enough for a 3-0 win.
KICKOFF! Madrid get us underway in their famous all-white strip. Basel are in blue and red.
A flailing hand from Degen accidentally clips Ronaldo in the face. There is a brief moan from the 2014 Ballon d'Or favourite as he goes to the floor, but he quickly brushes it off.
Basel will be content with the start. A couple of times they have nearly got through on the break, but have not picked the right pass. Madrid's defence does not have much protection.
Ronaldo seems to be playing off the right flank tonight, which is unusual. He will be looking to catch up with Lionel Messi, who broke Raul's Champions League goalscoring record with a hat-trick for Barcelona last night. Ronaldo is four behind on 70, and one behind equaling Raul's tally.
Another decent bit of play by Degen, who gets in behind and exchanges a smart one-two with Frei, but does not beat the offside flag, which is raised as his shot is saved by the feet of Navas.
LATEST! Plenty of early goals, including two in their other Group B game! Liverpool went behind three minutes in to Ludogorets, but levelled immediately through Rickie Lambert. Arsenal were even quicker off the mark, with Yaya Sanogo giving them a second-minute lead versus Borussia Dortmund!
Madrid's first real sniff comes from a corner, but Bale's header loops into the hands of Basel keeper Vaclik. Coentrao's delivery was swinging away from him and Bale could not generate great power.
Ronaldo and Bale counter on Basel, with the Welshman showing great pace to make up ground on Schar. Ramos joins the attack which is soon over as his poor touch allows the hosts to clear.
SHOT! Madrid are still in second gear, but Ronaldo is slowly starting to get more involved. He takes aim from an unlikely angle with his left foot and Vaclik spills the shot before eventually gathering.
Much more convincing from Vaclik this time as he anticipates a Bale cross to clutch it from in front of Ronaldo. The former Spurs man had created some room to chip in from the right byline.
Basel have looked well organised thus far, denying space to the trio of Real's attacking midfielders, largely forcing them into playing with their backs to goal. They are conceding more and more possession, though, and that's always dangerous as Madrid have so many players who can hurt you.
The hosts get their first shot away, but it is not one that Mohamed Elneny will want to see again. He travels with the ball purposefully, only to get overexcited and find row z when he options left and right.
Isco dinks forward to Ronaldo, who has Bale darting across him into the left channel. The Portuguese star delays the pass until his reverse ball finds a frustrated Bale in an offside position.
We have not seen any goals yet, but we have witnessed a top-quality dive from Derlis Gonzalez. The Paraguayan midfielder is caught slightly by Coentrao, but the reaction is ridiculously theatrical.
GOAL! BASEL 0-1 REAL MADRID (CRISTIANO RONALDO)
A solid start from Basel is undone by Benzema, whose excellent work down the left wing sees him shake off his marker and drive towards goal. It appears as if though he may run the ball out of play, but the Frenchman stretches to poke across goal for Ronaldo to tap home from six yards. It is a bit of a scuffed finish, but it takes him level with Raul on 71 Champions League goals nevertheless.
A let off for Real as Ramos's mistake on the edge of the box gifts the ball to Embolo. He tries to run through the Madrid defence, but a wild bobble takes it away from him and Navas is out to claim.
More sloppy defending from Ramos, who completely misses a near-post header. Embolo is behind him and it strikes him on the chest. The teenager cannot react quickly enough to control as Varane clears.
MISS! It initially looks like a horrible miss by Gonzalez, who knocks over at the back post from six yards out. A late offside flag is raised to spare his blushes. Nice build-up play from Basel, though, who quickly shifted the ball left before Gashi's cross-cum-shot.
CHANCE! Embolo gets in front of Ramos, but can only turn Degen's cross a few yards wide at the near post. A difficult opportunity for the striker and one that he has been working hard for.
HALF-TIME: BASEL 0-1 REAL MADRID
Basel were four down at the break at the Bernabeu, so this is a vast improvement! Having said that, they may be a bit disappointed to not have parity having held their own for much of the first half.
A moment of class separates the sides. Ronaldo was the goalscorer, but Benzema was the architect as he skilful and determination run down the left flank set up his teammate for a simple finish.
LATEST! With Real leading, it's looking good for Liverpool, who have turned things around against Ludogorets and are now 2-1 up thanks to Jordan Henderson's goal. Arsenal are still 1-0 up on Dortmund.
STATS: Madrid had 60% of possession, which was perhaps to be expected, but Basel have actually had seven shots to Real's three, although only one of them has been on target.
AS IT STANDS: If the scorelines finish as they are now, Basel would be joined on six points by Liverpool ahead of their showdown at Anfield in a fortnight's time. Madrid would have wrapped up the group on maximum points, and Ludogorets would be knocked out.
KICKOFF The action is back underway at St. Jakob-Park, with both sides unchanged.
BOOKING: Coentrao is cautioned for a late tackle on Embolo. He follows Sergio Ramos and Philipp Degen in being yellow carded by Serbian official Milorad Mazic this evening.
SAVE! Benzema wins a free kick 30 yards out and Ronaldo immediately lines it up. His dipping shot lacks power but was heading towards the bottom corner before Vaclik pushed it around the post.
Navas may be a bit bored, having had only one shot to save, so he makes the most of a rare involvement in the action by showing some silky feet to fool Embolo as he chased the ball down.
CHANCE! Great chance Basel, as Frei picks up a clearance and dribbles past two Real players before picking out the unmarked Gashi in the box. He cuts inside onto his right foot, and a shot that was going horribly wide anyway takes a deflection off Ramos on its way behind. Gashi appeals for handball, but more out of embarrassment than expectation, although it did flick the defender's hand.
Gonzalez was guilty of playacting in the first half, but he looks in serious pain here. He was caught by Coentrao and a stretcher has been called for. Basel want Coentrao off for a second yellow.
Scrap what I was just saying, you con artist Gonzalez. After being stretchered off the pitch by a team of medical staff, the Paraguayan swiftly returns to the pitch and is running in no time. Never seen that before.
Gashi has 10 goals in all competitions this season, but is not showing that sort of form tonight. Again he is given a chance to cut onto his right foot, but a weak effort dribbles into the arms of Navas.
Beautiful combination play between Benzema and Ronaldo midway in the Basel half. A smart one-two takes a few defenders out of the game, but Benzema is crowded out on the edge of the box just before he can shift the ball right to an unmarked Bale, who has been quiet since the break.
CLOSE! Great target man play from Embolo to hold the ball up and then spin away from Ramos. His early cross is towards Gashi, who spots Navas off his line and tries a first-time header from 22 yards out. In the end, he actually gets too much power on it and drops over the bar. Great effort!
SAVE! Incredible stop from Navas! Embolo is found in space between the two Madrid centre-backs. He has the strength to hold off Varane and the composure to round Navas, but the Costa Rican recovers and produces a full-length dive to make a remarkable one-handed save!
CHANCE! From the resultant corner, Embolo glances wide in space at the back post! Another chance for an equaliser goes begging. Basel have really been on top in this last 10 minutes.
SUBSTITUTION: Ancelotti turns to his bench to solidify his midfield. Illarramendi is on to play alongside Kroos. Isco will move further forward to support Ronaldo and centre-forward Bale.
WOODWORK! A clever ball from Isco releases Bale in the left channel. Two touches take the ball into the box and he hammers a left-footed shot off the underside of the crossbar and out!
SUBSTITUTION: Basel boss Paolo Sousa is rolling the dice as striker Ahmed Hamoudi comes on for right-back Degen. That means two up top now for the home side as Embolo gets a partner.
WOODWORK! Bale off the bar, now Ronaldo off the post. It's a brilliant break from Real as Ramos's pass finds Coentrao, who slips in Bale down the inside. He squares for Ronaldo, whose awkward effort from 12 yards flicks the bottom of the post. He had a defender for company and could not angle his foot to guide the ball home. Perhaps should have gone with his left foot.
Real are sensing a second which would undoubtedly kill this game off, and Basel gambling with an extra forward will suit them. They will commit men further forward, but Madrid are deadly on the counter with Ronaldo and Bale, so it would not surprise me if a second is soon in coming.
BOOKING: Schar catches the standing leg of Ronaldo while launching into a slide tackle in an advanced position on the Real left. That could have been nasty, but Ronaldo looks largely unscathed.
SUBSTITUTION: Another change for Basel as anchorman Frei is sacrificed for Marcelo Diaz.
SHOT! Ramos gets his feet in a tangle and pokes the ball to the feet of Hamoudi, who immediately lets fly with a left-footed shot which goes several yards wide. Navas had it covered.
SUBSTITUTION: Japansese striker Yoichiro Kakitani replaces Zuffi for Basel. That's their last sub.
LATEST! A massive goal in Group B's other game! Georgi Terziev has equalised for Ludogorets against Liverpool. It is now 2-2 there and Basel could now qualify tonight with a goal!
There is a break in play for one of the most mild pitch invasions you will ever see. Two fans run onto the field and are taken down by security, while on the other side of the pitch - a middle-aged couple linking arms politely make their way towards the players with a video camera. They usher stewards away, almost insisting that they are no danger. It does their cause no good. That has really made me chuckle.
Back to business. We are now entering the first of FIVE minutes of stoppage time...
SUBSTITUTIONS: Ancelotti has shown his Italian roots with a couple of substitutions made to preserve this slender lead. Marcelo and Nacho on for James and Isco during the last few minutes.
CHANCE! That was the chance for Basel! The ball breaks to Hamoudi in the box, and he tries to bend the ball left-footed inside the far post, but he asks too much of the ball and it goes wide!
FULL-TIME: BASEL 0-1 REAL MADRID
So, a closer game than many were expecting, with Cristiano Ronaldo's 71st Champions League goal separating the sides. Basel won't be downhearted, though, considering that Liverpool's draw against still gives them a great chance of joining Madrid in the knockout stages.
And if they perform like they did this evening, they will have a chance of getting the point that they need at Anfield in a fortnight's time. The Swiss side were organised to start with, dangerous in the middle, and plucky at the end as they ensured they were in it until the final whistle.
That's it from me for now, but be sure to stay tuned to Sports Mole for analysis and reaction to this game and the rest of this evening's Champions League fixtures. Thanks for joining us.
Written by
Joe Fish
Joe Fish
