UEFA Champions League: Cristiano Ronaldo double sees Real Madrid beat Copenhagen 4-0

Madrid: Real Madrid made it six points from two games in Group B as doubles from Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel di Maria guided them to a 4-0 win over FC Copenhagen.

Following his hat-trick in the 6-1 thrashing of Galatasaray in matchday one, Ronaldo now has five goals in just two Champions League games this season. The Portuguese headed home the opener midway through the first-half from Marcelo`s fine cross and made the game safe 25 minutes from time with another headed effort from Di Maria`s cross. The Argentine winger made it 3-0 himself with a sensational curling effort from 25 yards and rounded off the scoring in stoppage time with another precide left-footed finish. A 2-2 draw between Juventus and Galatasaray in the night`s other game in Group B leaves Madrid well on course for the last-16, four points ahead of Juve with the Italians set to visit the Spanish capital next time out. With Gareth Bale sidelined due to a thigh strain, Real boss Carlo Ancelotti had reacted to Saturday`s 1-0 derby defeat to Atletico Madrid by making five changes. Iker Casillas returned in goal for the first time in nearly nine months at the Bernabeu, whilst Raphael Varane and Marcelo also made their first appearances since recovering from injury. Madrid didn`t have things quite as easy as might have been expected in the early stages with Karim Benzema`s header from close range that drifted wide their only clear-cut opportunity. However, they did eventually make the breakthrough on 21 minutes as Copenhagen keeper Johan Wiland got caught under Marcelo`s out-swinging cross from the left and Ronaldo was left with a simple header at the back post. Di Maria should have made it 2-0 moments later when he side-footed wide from Benzema`s intelligent cut-back and then saw a flicked header from another dangerous Marcelo cross creep just wide. However, the Danish champions will feel they should have went into half-time level after Nicolai Jorgensen`s header came back off the bar when Casillas flapped at a corner and Luka Modric had to clear the bound off his own line. And moments later veteran defender Olof Mellberg also headed just wide from Claudemir`s cross. Madrid continued to dictate play at the start of the second-half without much penetration as Modric fired just wide before a Ronaldo free-kick dropped onto the roof of the net. The second goal did finally arrive when neat play between Di Maria and Benzema released the former to stand up a wonderful cross that Ronaldo bulleted home. Di Maria sealed a fine individual performance with a sweet left-footed strike six minutes later. And he piled more misery on Copenhagen in stoppage time as he collected a loose ball inside the area and fired low into the bottom corner. AFP