Real Madrid defeated Malmo 2-0 on Tuesday, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring his 500th career goal and becoming their joint all-time top scorer in the process.
Luka Modric and Marcelo were rested for Casemiro and Alvaro Arbeloa respectively, but Ronaldo was given another chance to break his mini-drought and score his 500th career goal, which would also put him one behind Raul Gonzalez's club-record haul of 323.
Elsewhere, Jese Rodriguez – who suffered an injury scare against Malaga at the weekend – was replaced by Mateo Kovacic, who swaps with Isco for the No 10 berth, while teenage striker Borja Mayoral was named on the substitutes' bench.
Malmo immediately made it clear that they were not interested in parking the bus against their more-decorated opponents, showing great vigour in their approach, and almost took the lead when former Racing Santander striker Markus Rosenberg pounced on a misplaced backpass.
Nonetheless, Madrid grew into the match, eventually asserting their dominance on proceedings, and opened the scoring, Cristiano Ronaldo firing the ball home courtesy of Isco's perfectly-executed reverse pass through his marker's legs.
Los Blancos then came a whisker away from doubling their lead in the latter stages of the first half, only for Dani Carvajal's thunderous volley to cannon off the frame of Johan Wiland's goal.
Madrid slumbered through much of the second half but crucially kept their concentration and intensity in their passing as Malmo tired and had Yoshimar Yotun sent off for two bookable offences, Rosenberg's misguided header aside.
Isco and Kovacic excelled in turning defence to attack throughout proceedings, although both should have done better with their respective efforts at goal.
The Spaniard failed to finish off a neat one-two with Karim Benzema, instead lifting the ball over the bar near Wiland's left-hand post, while the new boy dragged a free shot at goal wide, despite being in bundles of space.
Subsequently, it was left to Ronaldo to assume Madrid's goalscoring burden once more, and that he did, coolly taking advantage of a tap-in which his teammates carved out for him late on after stinging the goalkeeper's palms on two occasions.
Madrid are now level on points with Paris Saint-Germain atop Champions League Group A and host the French giants in a fortnight.
Malmo 0-2 Real Madrid
Ronaldo 29, 90 (RM) Yotun sent off 78 (M)
Malmo: Willand; Tinnerholm, Arnason, Bengtsson, Yotun; Rodic (Eikrem 67), Lewicki, Adu, Berget; Djurdjic (Carvalho 81), Rosenberg
Real Madrid: Navas; Carvajal, Varane, Nacho, Arbeloa; Kroos, Casemiro; Isco (Cheryshev 84), Kovacic (Vazquez 73), Ronaldo; Benzema (Modric 67)
Referee: Cakir [TUR]
