Real Madrid defeated Shakhtar Donetsk by a slim margin at the Santiago Bernabeu to make it three wins from three in the Champions League this year.
The holders’ early dominance became apparent as Rodrygo scored first, and Vinicius Jr. later added to the advantage.
Oleksandr Zubkov’s well-placed header gave the Ukrainian visitors hope.
Although the Spanish powerhouses were getting closer to earning their place in the knockout stages, Shakhtar could not find a leveler.
READ MORE: Haaland Scored Twice as City victory against Copenhagen in Champions League
Rodrygo’s goal from the outside of the box, which the excellent Aurelien Tchouameni assisted, gave Real Madrid the ideal start.
Federico Valverde, Rodrygo, and Karim Benzema all worked well together to set up Vinicius Jr. for the second goal for the home team.
Despite dominating the first half, Carlo Ancelotti’s team only had a one-goal lead at the intermission as Zubkov headed a cross from Bogdan Mykhaylychenko past Andriy Lunin, the Ukrainian goalkeeper for Madrid.
Shakhtar is still in second place in Group F, one point ahead of RB Leipzig, and will play Madrid in the rematch on Tuesday in Warsaw.