Cristiano Ronaldo is back in business. The Portuguese had failed to score in his last three appearances for Real Madrid, but returned to form to set yet another record in the competition he enjoys the most.
The 30-year-old headed home a delightful Dani Carvajal cross in the first half to put Madrid in front at Schalke en route to a routine 2-0 win for Carlo Ancelotti's side. It was his first headed goal away from home in the Champions League, his first in Madrid's fuchsia kit, a 58th in 58 appearances for Real in the continental competition and his 76th in Europe overall - leaving him level with Barcelona's Lionel Messi and former teammate Raul.
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It was appropriate that, following Messi's record-breaking antics over the weekend, a couple of marks should be met by Ronaldo. These two don't just compete, they exchange blows like a pair of prizefighters slugging out a world title.
But perhaps more importantly than all of that, it was a welcome respite following a slow start to 2015 for both player and club. The Portuguese had netted only four times this year prior to Wednesday's match and had been overtaken by Lionel Messi in all competitions following the Argentine's hat trick against Levante at Camp Nou on Saturday.
The goal gave Ronaldo a boost and his increased confidence was evident afterwards as he played with a spring in his step so lacking in recent matches. Indeed, the forward also helped end Schalke's resistance late in the game as he beat two defenders and laid the ball off for Marcelo to hit home a stunning strike from the edge of the box.
It was welcome news for Ronaldo, who needs goals to boost both his ego and his confidence as he strives to reach the high demands he sets for himself.
"Ronaldo is back," Ancelotti said afterwards. "He scored, he assisted and he played well."
And Marcelo added: "Cristiano is not obsessed with goals. The goals come when the team works and when he works. The most important thing was the victory."
Just like last season, Madrid made light work of the trip to Gelsenkirchen and, even though this time was much less impressive than the 6-1 win to Real last February, Ronaldo's return to form represents a big boost for Ancelotti's side.
So too does Madrid's improvement after a shaky few weeks which have included defeats to Atletico (twice) and Valencia, along with unconvincing victories over Cordoba and Sevilla. The 4-0 derby defeat at the Vicente Calderon was particularly painful for Ancelotti's side.
But Wednesday's win (their 10th in a row in the Champions League to equal a record held by Bayern Munich) helped put that to bed and also draw a line under the controversy surrounding Ronaldo's birthday celebrations after the damaging defeat to Atleti.
"We recovered some positive sensations," Marcelo said afterwards. "We want to rediscover our 2014 form and we are on the way there."
Tougher tests lie ahead of course, but with Ronaldo back on song in his favorite competition and in search of more records to add to his growing collection plus a third title to match Messi, the future suddenly looks a little brighter for Real Madrid.