A below par Real Madrid all but assured their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League with an lacklustre 1-0 victory over FC Zurich in Group C.
Manuel Pellegrini's men barely broke sweat as they defeated the Swiss outfit at the Santiago Bernabeu. Gonzalo Higuain scored the decisive goal in the 21st minute with a straightforward finish.
The highlight of the second half was the return of Cristiano Ronaldo who replaced Raul for his first appearance in almost two months.
With Milan and Marseille drawing at the San Siro, Zurich are out, leaving Madrid two points clear at the top with a game to go.
The Rossoneri, in second place, travel to Zurich, while Marseille host the Galacticos at the Stade Velodrome needing at least a win to qualify.
Kaka looked to set the tone of the evening with an early shot that had Johnny Leoni at full stretch.
Unsurprisingly Madrid dominated the early exchanges sweeping the ball from left to right on an immaculate surface, leaving Zurich entrenched in their own half.
But for all their possession Los Blancos demonstrated very little urgency, until a lapse of concentration in the visiting defence presented Higuain with a simple chance.
Kaka drove at the heart of the Zurich rearguard, drawing Heniz Barmettler out of his central defensive position, leaving Higuain in acres of space.
The Brazilian slipped the ball through to the striker who applied a cool finish past a helpless Leoni.
Minutes later, Xabi Alonso, looking for his first Madrid goal on his 28th birthday, stung the hands of the Zurich custodian with a fierce drive from distance.
Leoni was left at the mercy of Real's firepower once again. Higuain picked out Marcelo, coiled on the edge of the box from a corner, and the South American rattled the post with a first time volley. The goalkeeper barely had time to blink.
With one eye on Sunday's Clasico against Barcelona at the Camp Nou, Manuel Pellegrini's men coasted through the first half in second gear.
The home side's dreary performance continued after the interval as they plodded along to victory against a limited Zurich side.
The second half was littered with scrappy fouls and cheap bookings as Pellegrini's troops struggled to infiltrate a wall of orange and blue.
One of the few highlights in the second period came in the 67th minute when substitute Rafael van der Vaart met Marcelo's cross with a first time volley that required a straightforward save from Leoni.
In the 70th minute Raul made way for Ronaldo, who returned to action after almost two months out with an ankle injury.
But the £80 million man failed to make an impact as Bernard Challandes' side continued to stifle.
Before the final whistle Van der Vaart and Ronaldo both missed chances to extend the Spanish giants' lead.
Ben Welch / Eurosport
:Article Source:uk.eurosport.yahoo.com
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