5 key moments in Real Madrid's 39-match unbeaten run

Real Madrid made history on Saturday with a 5-0 win over Granada, matching rival outfit Barcelona at 39 unbeaten matches, the longest streak in Spanish history. Zinedine Zidane's side has a chance to set the record at 40 with either a win or a draw against Sevilla on Jan. 12.

Reaching the 39-match mark wasn't easy for Los Blancos: It began on April 9, 2016, three days after a 2-0 loss to Wolfsburg when Real Madrid defeated Eibar 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu. It hasn't all been smooth sailing since.

Here are five moments that stand out in Real Madrid's record run:

Fernando blunder ends City charge

Manchester City presented Real Madrid with its first true test just six matches into this budding record run and the initial encounter on April 26, 2016 ended in a 0-0 draw; but, it was a fortuitous own goal in the reverse leg at home on May 5 that might very well have saved Real Madrid in this series.

For, just 20 minutes into the match, City midfielder Fernando scored in his own net and deflated the English side entirely; the rest of the match was riddled with half-chances, City mustering just one shot on goal over 90 minutes as a result.

Carvajal seals Super Cup success

Sevilla now stands in the way of Real Madrid as the club vies for a 40th consecutive unbeaten fixture and it's a team that Zidane's side knows all too well, having nearly succumbed to this particular opponent in the UEFA Super Cup on Aug. 9, 2016.

Marco Asensio opened the scoring for Real Madrid in this final, before Sevilla responded with a pair of goals to turn the tilt on its head; it took a 90th-minute goal from Sergio Ramos (we'll get to him a little later) to force extra time and give Real Madrid renewed hope.

On the 119-minute mark, Dani Carvajal smashed a third for Madrid and secured a come-from-behind 3-2 victory at Norway's Lerkendal Stadion.

Leaving it late against Lisbon

Sevilla wasn't the only team to suffer a loss in the dying moments; it was an agony Real Madrid also inflicted on Portuguese outfit Sporting CP at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sept. 14, 2016 in Champions League play.

Bruno Cesar had given the visitors a 1-0 advantage at the start of the second half and Sporting CP looked to have secured all three points in this group stage tilt, but for the heroics of Ronaldo and Alvaro Morata, who scored in the 89th and 94th minute respectively for a come-from-behind 2-1 win.

Two months later, the two teams met for the reverse tilt and striker Karim Benzema scored an 87th-minute goal of his own in another 2-1 victory.

6-goal Betis rout ends drawing slump

Real Madrid posted a 6-1 victory away from Real Betis on Oct. 15, 2016, and on paper, this wide-margin win isn't much different from the various others of its kind during this 39-match streak; however, this particular triumph came after Real Madrid posted four consecutive draws.

Madrid faced a shift in momentum against Las Palmas courtesy of a concession in the 85th minute to Sergio Araujo and endured a similar stumble against Borussia Dortmund's Andre Schurrle three days later. If ever Real Madrid's record-reaching run looked likely to end prematurely, it was during this time.

But a 6-1 regrouping against Betis, spurred on by goals from five different scorers saw Madrid surge back into top form, and the team went on to pick up four more wins in a row, outscoring its opponents 18-4.

Ramos spares Madrid's blushes

Sergio Ramos has a knack for scoring late headers right when his team needs him most, so a 90th-minute header off a Luka Modric cross wasn't exactly a surprise to the Madrid faithful; tell that to Barcelona supporters at Camp Nou, however, and you'd get a different response entirely.

For, Real Madrid looked well and truly beaten by its perennial rival during this El Clasico clash on Dec. 3, 2016, and if not for Ramos, Barcelona would likely have ended this streak in its tracks and preserved its sole spot beside this Spanish record.

For good measure, Ramos scored a 92nd-minute header against Deportivo La Coruna one week later in a 3-2 win.