Ronaldo-less Real Madrid hit 12-year negative record

Many thought Real Madrid would not struggle after Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure, but Los Blancos have now hit a negative record they never achieved while the superstar was around. Julen Lopetegui’s side somewhat surprisingly lost 1-0 to CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. The defeat marked the third successive game in which Real have gone without finding the back of the net, a negative record they last experienced between December 2006 and January 2007, according to Marca.

The Spanish giants never went three consecutive games without scoring when Ronaldo was around, and Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat was their first UCL match in 29 games that they had failed to register a strike in. Los Blancos defender Nacho has since insisted the team needs to forget about the club’s record goalscorer and move on. “Cristiano (Ronaldo) decided to leave Real Madrid,” he said after the game, as quoted by Marca.

“We, the players, cannot do anything about that. It’s his decision to make and we can only respect it and thank him for what he has done for us. “But we can’t live in the past or think what this team would be with him.” Real lost 3-0 to Sevilla a week ago, then drew 0-0 in the Madrid derby on the weekend, and on Tuesday lost 1-0 to CSKA despite hitting the woodwork three times.