BASEL, Switzerland -- Cristiano Ronaldo equaled the number of Champions League goals scored by his Real Madrid predecessor Raul on the same night that Carlo Ancelotti's team matched another club record.
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With Ronaldo's goal, Real eased into a 1-0 lead it was not going to relinquish easily and, in the process, equaled the club record 15 wins set by Miguel Munoz's team in 1960-61 and Jose Mourinho's in 2011-12.
This was by no means an easy fixture for Madrid. Basel had beaten both Liverpool and Ludogorets at St. Jakob Park earlier on in the group stage and was defending a proud record of its own on home soil; the club was unbeaten in eight here coming into this.
The defending champions had to withstand some clever football too from Paulo Sousa's men on the night, who just did not have the firepower in the teenage Breel Embolo to trouble Keylor Navas deputizing for Iker Casillas.
Embolo rounded Navas at one stage but even then the Costa Rica international recovered. At that stage of the game Basel was coming on strong. Shkelzen Gashi was making plenty of space down the left channel and had three second-half efforts on goal but despite the midfield dominance handed to them by the excellent Fabian Frei, the hosts could not capitalize.
Instead it was left to Madrid to show them how it was done.
Madrid was not at full strength, nor close to its best form, but it still got the job done. Madrid took some blows in the first half but Ronaldo's goal characterized its current levels of impenetrability and superiority. He is already off and chasing Lionel Messi's goal-scoring record of 74.
Karim Benzema took on Philipp Degen down the line following a good chance for Luca Zuffi and the Portugal captain's clever movement confused both Fabian Schar and Marek Suchy. There was nothing left to do but sweep the ball home.
Later on, Ronaldo hit the post after being on the end of a pin-point counterattack. Gareth Bale and Fabio Coentrao combined on the left; Ronaldo found space and the fact that his shot cannoned off the post and out of play defied belief. He is that consistent now that you expect everything to go in. He has now scored 26 goals in 19 matches in all competitions this season.
This was not a game Real Madrid had to win but there is confidence coursing through their veins. The club is in a winning groove initiated by a heavy victory over Basel in September afer the derby defeat which did a lot to undermine Ancelotti's credibility. But it has recovered in stunning fashion.
Last season, Bayern Munich showed the dangers of easing up with the Bundesliga title already assured. The German club was lax and was duly swept aside by Real in the Champions League semifinals after dropping needless points domestically. Getting into the winning habit is difficult, dropping it is very easy.
But there is currently no danger of that happening to Madrid and the irrepressible Cristiano Ronaldo. It is the only team in the Champions League this season with a 100-percent record and looks like the strong favorite to retain its title.
On a match week when potential title rivals Bayern and Borussia Dortmund slipped up and dropped points for the first time, Real showed its stomach for a fight; even when it didn't have to.
