ARSENAL SURVIVE: Bayer Leverkusen beat Zenit St Petersburg

Arsenal's Kieran Gibbs (L) celebrates with teammate Nacho Monreal after scoring against Anderlecht during their Champions League Group D soccer match at Constant Vanden Stock stadium in Brussels October 22, 2014. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir (BELGIUM - Tags: SPORT SOCCER)

The France forward grabbed the other two goals in a devastating 18-minute first-half spell that silenced the homecrowd.

On this form, it is hard to bet against defending champion Madrid at least reaching the final, if not securing an 11th European crown.

Ronaldo’s goal, a superbly-taken flick, put Madrid ahead in the 23rd minute, and took him to 20 goals in just 13 games this season. He also moved to within one goal of former Madrid star Raul Gonzalez’s record tally in the Champions League.

He is one ahead of great rival Lionel Messi, who scored one and made one in Barcelona’s 3-1 win against Ajax on Tuesday, before being taken off to rest him ahead of Saturday’s massive game against Ronaldo’s Madrid.

Benzema headed in the second in the 30th minute before pouncing from close range. Liverpool clearly misses Luis Suarez, who scored 31 league goals last season before joining Barcelona, and Balotelli doesn’t seem to be an able replacement — at least not yet.

Ludogorets got a first ever win by a Bulgarian side in a Champions League group thanks to a 91st-minute winner from defender Yordan Minev.

Arsenal and Dortmund scrapped for top spot last season, and the odds again look in Dortmund’s favor. Striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice inside the first 20 minutes, Marco Reus made it 3-0 before the break and substitute Adrian Ramos completed the rout late on to give Dortmund nine points.

“We were focused, had no problems in defence and our fast breaks were very dangerous,” Dortmund’s World Cup-winning German defender Mats Hummels said.

After rescuing a point with an injury-time goal from Danny Welbeck in a 2-2 draw against Hull last weekend, this time it was Gibbs and Podolski who gave coach Arsene Wenger a happy ending to his 65th birthday.

“We are in a strong position now,” Wenger said. “It is down to us now and we have to win our home games.”

Third-place Anderlecht, who have one point, sensed victory after Honduras midfielder Andy Najar gave the Belgian champion a 1-0 lead with a powerful header which wrong-footed Arsenal’s third-choice goalie Emiliano Martinez in the 71st minute.

But Gibbs equalised in the 89th with a low volley and Podolski, who was close to leaving Arsenal during the offseason, followed up from close range in stoppage time.

In Group A, Spanish champion Atletico Madrid lead Olympiakos on goal difference, with both teams tied on six points and Juventus lagging three points behind. Pajtim Kasami fired the winner for Olympiakos past Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon in the 36th minute.

It was a goal feast for Atletico, with five different scorers in a 5-0 win against Malmo to show there is indeed life in the team’s attack after Diego Costa, who has been brilliant for Chelsea since joining the London club in the offseason.

All the goals came in the second half, courtesy of Spain midfielder Koke; striker Mario Mandzukic; France winger Antoine Griezmann; defender Diego Godin and a last-gasp effort from substitute forward Alessio Cerci.

Elsewhere, Bayer Leverkusen beat Zenit St. Petersburg thanks to second-half goals from Giulio Donati and Kyriakos Papadopoulos. -AP