Real Madrid still on track to break world record, confirm holders

Posted Friday, January 02, 2015 by Goal.com

The Champions League winners were beaten in a friendly by AC Milan but the Guinness Book of World Record holders, Coritiba, said that defeat does not count

Real Madrid are still on course to beat Coritiba's record of 24 consecutive victories, despite being defeated 4-2 by AC Milan on Tuesday.

Carlo Ancelotti's side suffered their first loss since falling to Atletico Madrid on September 13 with a below-par performance in their winter break friendly in Dubai against Filippo Inzaghi's men.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema got on the scoresheet, but two goals from Stephan El Shaarawy and strikes from Jeremy Menez and Giampaolo Pazzini condemned the Spanish side to a surprise loss.

Some speculated that the result had ended Madrid's hopes of beating the Coritiba's record, but it turns out that their run only included competitive fixtures, meaning the Champions League winners are still on track with their 22 games and counting.

Taking to their official Twitter account, the Brazilian club said: "We would like to remind those who watched the Milan-Real Madrid game that the world record for consecutive victories applies solely to official matches.

"To confirm the record, Coritiba entered a lengthy process with Guinness Book of World Records during which the rules and regulations were explained in depth (this is outlined, in Brazilian, on the club’s official web page).

"Therefore, under Guinness guidelines, Coritiba are still the team who has managed the most consecutive victories and we will be watching Real Madrid’s next games with interest."

Coritiba hold the record after winning 24 consecutive games between February 3 and May 5 in 2011.

Real Madrid's next fixture is against Valencia on Sunday as they resume their Liga campaign following the end of the winter break.

The Blancos will then have a chance to equal Coritiba's world record with a Copa del Rey win against their local rivals and coincidentally the last team to have tripped them up in a competitive match: Atletico Madrid.