Mohamed Elneny played the full 90 minutes in the heart of Basel's midfield and playmaker Ahmed Hamoudi came on as a second-half substitute but the Swiss side slumped to a 1-0 loss to Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. Cristiano Ronaldo's first-half goal helped Real Madrid beat Basel and tie a club record with a 15th straight win. Ronaldo's 71st career Champions League goal, in his 108th match, also tied the old competition scoring record long held by Madrid great Raul Gonzalez. Both trail Lionel Messi by three after the Barcelona forward's record-setting hat trick Tuesday. Ronaldo scored in the 35th minute, tapping left-footed into an empty net from Karim Benzema's cut-back. Elneny continued his steady displays in the middle while compatriot Hamoudi, who replaced Philipp Degen in the 76th minute, wasted a couple of chances in the latter stages, including an acrobatic effort which flew high over. Victory in Switzerland means defending champion Madrid wins Group B and is seeded in the last-16 draw. Basel remains second on six points, two ahead of Ludogorets Razgrad and Liverpool who drew 2-2 on Wednesday. Basel visits Liverpool in the final round in two weeks. (For more sports news andupdates, follow AhramOnlineSports on Twitter at@AO_Sportsand on Facebook atAhramOnlineSports.) http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/116552.aspx
