Real Madrid guaranteed top spot in Champions League Group B with a comfortable 1-0 win in Basel on Wednesday evening.The defending champions were not at their best, but they were rarely troubled, and a first-half goal from star man Cristiano Ronaldo was enough to keep the Madrid juggernaut rolling on.Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored 26 goals in 19 games (all comps) for Real Madrid this season. Unbelievable stuff. pic.twitter.com/LTM2A5XJT6 Squawka Football (@Squawka) November 26, 2014Real came into the game on a run of 14 consecutive wins in all competitions, one victory shy of the Madrid record held by coaches Jose Mourinho and Miguel Munoz.Carlo Ancelotti was aware of the record but seemingly not concerned by it ahead of the game."We don't think a lot about this record of winning a 15th game in a row," Ancelotti said ahead of the match. "Although it's an important thing for the club."Far more important for Real was to ensure they avoided a heavy defeat, which was hardly likely, to guarantee top spot. As such, they started in circumspect rather than spectacular fashion.Basel were happy to press high for the ball, which made it tough for Real to break the Swiss side down.Reals first effort on goal did not arrive until the 15th minute, but Gareth Bale's header from a corner failed to test Basel 'keeper Tomas Vaclik.Ronaldo, who is now trailing rival Lionel Messi in the Champions League scoring charts, had the ball in the net in the 25th minute. He collected a dinked pass through, controlled superbly and chipped the ball over Vaclik, but there was no celebration as the effort was ruled out by an offside flag.The Portuguese superstar was not to be denied for long, though. On the 35-minute mark, he grabbed his 71st goal in Champions League competitionmoving himself level with fellow Real legend Raul.Ronaldo has scored against Basel to equal Raul's Champions League tally. Not even an achievement any more. Graham Ruthven (@grahamruthven) November 26, 2014It was one of the easiest finishes he will ever have, a tap-in from four yards, but his movement to create space was a joy to behold.He checked in and out, which was too much for his marker, and it allowed Karim Benzema to cap a fine run from the left with a simple pass for Ronaldo to slot home.The game turned a little testy at the start of the second half, with both sides guilty of niggly fouls.The scrappy nature offered hope to Basel, and they had a superb chance on 56 minutes. Shkelzen Gashi found space in the box, but he lacked composure and sent his shot high into the stands; it would have ended up higher had it not clipped Sergio Ramos on its way wide.While Gashi's shot on 56 minutes was poor, his effort 10 minutes later was superband would have been a goal-of-the-season contender had it not dropped a yard wide of the target.The hugely impressive teenager Breel Embolo dashed forward down the right-hand side, leaving Real defenders trailing. He spotted Gashi making a run from deep on the left and fired a 30-yard cross-field pass.It was pinpoint, and without breaking stride, Gashi headed the ball from 20 yards at great pace. Keylor Navas was beaten, but the ball flashed just wide.A minute later, Real needed Navas to keep them on level terms. Embolo drove into the box and looked set to find the corner, but Navas dived full length to make the save.Ancelotti had seen enough and attempted to shore things up by bringing on Asier Illarramendi to replace Benzema.The message filtered through to the players, and Real closed out the gamealthough they should have won by a larger margin as Bale fired a shot against the bar and Ronaldo fired wide from eight yards.Bale has been quiet but almost scores with a powerful strike that bounces off the bar. He's on a run of just one goal in eight Madrid games Chris Myson (@thechrismyson) November 26, 2014The win hands Ancelotti the luxury of being able to rest players for the final game of the group against Ludogorets.The Italian is certain to do that, given that his side are battling for honours on a number of fronts, but a certain Cristiano Ronaldo is chasing Messi's Champions League record of 74 goals.He's likely to bend his coach's ear about that fact, so don't be surprised to see the World Footballer of the Year line up from the start in a fortnight's time.Notable Player Ratings:Gareth Bale: CNot the best night for the Welshman who often found himself down blind alleys. With the one clear-cut chance he did have, Bale smashed a shot from 12 yards against the crossbar.Sergio Ramos: C+It was a mixture of the good, the bad and the ugly from the defender. He won a number of good tackles but was also guilty of sloppy use of the ball and committed more than one bad foul.James Rodriguez: CNot the best night for James. There was no lack of effort, but his usually pinpoint passing was often wayward.Cristiano Ronaldo: B+Once again, Real's star man stood up to be counted. The pitch in Basel was not conducive to his and Madrid's slick, free-flowing style, but he was a threat throughout and added another goal to his tally. He blotted his copybook by missing a sitter, shooting wide from eight yards with the goal at his mercy.Reaction to follow...Read more World Football news on BleacherReport.com
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