Real Madrid beat Roma with three masterpieces

Goals: Isco 45', Bale 58', Mariano 90'+1

Real Madrid have shown no signs of slowing down since Cristiano Ronaldo left the club in the opening stages of their title defence. They continue to dominate the attack and have some of the same flair they have shown in previous seasons.

Real could have opened the scoring in the fourth minute if Gareth Bale had not missed a chance to face goalkeeper Robin Olsen. The Welsh star's powerful left-footed shot went just wide of the post. In the eighth minute, the home team wasted another chance to face the ball, when Isco's shot deflected off Olsen.

While Real dominated, Roma hardly showed the image of the brave team that reached the semi-finals last season. During the first half, coach Di Francesco's team only had one notable attack when Cengiz Under fired a long shot wide of the goal.

After many escapes, goalkeeper Olsen had to pick the ball out of the net for the first time in the 45th minute. Winger Isco shined with a direct free kick to put Real in the lead.

Alongside Isco, Luka Modric also played very successfully in the role of a technical expert. At the beginning of the first half, the Croatian star passed the ball to assist when Isco's shot hit Olsen's foot. After the break, Modric continued to have a pass when he passed the ball from his own half to Bale to make it 2-0. After breaking down the left side of the penalty area, Bale comfortably fired a cross-angle shot to beat Olsen.

Against a Roma side playing at a much lower level, Real dominated even after replacing three key players. After Benzema, Bale and Modric were taken off, the home team maintained their overwhelming attack. As the second half entered the first minute of added time, substitute striker Mariano Diaz curled a right-footed shot from outside the box to seal a 3-0 win.

This is the first match Mariano wears the number 7 shirt, inheriting Ronaldo, after returning from Lyon. The Dominican striker's early goal in the Champions League this season initially proves the correctness of the acquisition.

With a 3-0 win, Real leads Group G of the Champions League right after the first match. The two remaining teams in the group, CSKA Moscow and Viktoria Plzen are behind after a 2-2 draw.