Barely hours after stating his intention of winning more trophies with Real Madrid, Carlo Ancelotti has now led the Los Blancos to a comfortable 2-0 victory over Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday evening in Helsinki, Finland.
Real Madrid lifted their 14th UEFA Champions League title in May after a victory over Liverpool in Paris, while Frankfurt defeated Scottish side Glasgow Rangers also in May.
Both sides clashed in the UEFA competition for the second time in history, but the only difference was in the scoreline as Real Madrid once again emerged victorious as they did in 1960 when they recorded a 7-3 win.
Meanwhile, French striker Karim Benzema continued from where he stopped last season as he scored his 324th goal for Real Madrid to reinforce his Ballon d’Or shouts.
The goal moves him ahead of Raul on the all-times scorer list for Real Madrid and only second behind Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored 450 in his time at the Bernabeu.
The striker doubled the European Champions’ lead in the 63rd from a Vinicius Junior’s assist. Real Madrid had taken the lead in the first half through David Alaba, who poked home 8 minutes before halftime.
Alaba benefited from a Casemiro header that made Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp stranded in no man’s land, leaving Alaba an empty net.
Real Madrid enjoyed a good display from the same starting 11 that started in May in that 1-0 win over Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Carlo Ancelotti believes that his team is better improved than they were last season after signing two players who he claims add to the team physically and technically.
The Los Blancos will now turn towards the 2022/2023 La Liga season, which they will hope to defend, starting with a trip to Almeria this weekend.
Written by: Daniel Ademiju Idowu