Real Madrid vs. Viktoria final score, recap: Los Blancos end winless drought, struggles continue

This team needs some new players up top and maybe a new coach

By Roger Gonzalez

Oct 23, 2018 at 6:11 pm ET • 1 min read

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Real Madrid's winless drought reached a month, but it finally ended on Tuesday with a 2-1 win over Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League. It was another underwhelming performance from Los Blancos, one that didn't eliminate any of the pre-match concerns that are the result of the slow start to the season.

Karim Benzema scored 11 minutes in and Marcelo got the winner on 55 minutes for the victory. Here's the winning goal, which includes a backheel from Gareth Bale:

Cheeky backheel from Gareth Bale gives Marcelo all the space he needs 🙌

Watch the finish on #BRLive: https://t.co/gs4Nh0PVWJ pic.twitter.com/hodY8OOvBs
— Bleacher Report Live (@brlive) October 23, 2018

Real once again outshot its opponent, but the finishing in front of goal was still an issue. With 21 chances and nine on frame, Real still desperately needs a new striker to take over the No. 9 spot to solve this. Benzema may have scored, but he has just 18 goals over the last two seasons and doesn't appear to be the answer. A response is needed for Cristiano Ronaldo's departure, and until they do that, the struggles are likely to continue. For a team that has won three Champions League titles in a row, getting past the second place team in the Czech Republic, just barely, isn't a good sign.