Banel Nicolita put through his own net on 70 minutes to floor the visitors who had withstood early pressure and could easily have earned a result themselves.

Instead, the three points leave Real with nine points from four games, three behind Lyon, whom they next face at home, and six ahead of the Romanians.

The French champions ended Dynamo Kiev's slim hopes with a 1-0 success in France to preserve their perfect record.

Had Ruud van Nistelrooy, preferred to fit again Ronaldo, not missed a penalty which he earned, the margin would have been more comfortable for Real, whose coach Fabio Capello gave David Beckham a 32-minute run-out.

Nicolita did the job for him as he turned the ball past his own keeper Cornel Cernea in a terrible mix-up, finding the net with a back pass that completely missed his teammate target.

A Spanish commentator described the goal as "one of the stupidest ever" -- and also slammed Real "for an alarming lack of football."

Capello said the essential goal of making it out of the group has been achieved, if only just.

"The objective was to qualify for the last 16 and we have done that, though it's true the goal was a gift.

"That put us under pressure in the first half but we played well in the second," he insisted.

On keeping Ronaldo in reserve until the closing stages he explained that: "yesterday he had a problem with his neck. This morning it was stuck and I wasn't sure he would make it. Finally I left him out of the starting line-up."

Real joined compatriots Valencia in the last 16 by dint of the narrow win but they will be grateful not to have to beat Lyon in their final home match or have to get a result against cannon fodder Kiev away at the onset of the Ukrainian winter.

Before kick-off Capello took no immediate heed of Beckham's comments earlier in the week that he intends to stick it out at the Bernabeu despite warming the bench for much of the season.

The midfielder, already discarded by England, again sat it out to begin with, only coming on, for Mali international Mahamadou Diarra, after an hour of tepid fare.

Instead, it was Brazilian youngster Robinho who stole most of the limelight.

At least Beckham had half an hour more than Jose Antonio Reyes, who replaced Robinho with barely three minutes left.

Real, the last of their continental record of nine titles lifted in 2002 in the pre-Beckham era, had put aside their hot-and-cold league form and an opening day Champions League loss to Lyon to swat aside Dynamo Kiev at home and also Bucharest away, scoring nine times in the process.

But the inconsistency which has been their hallmark in recent seasons continued to gnaw away at the team on Wednesday to the frustration of the 70,000 crowd.

The Romanians, having secured a win over a hapless Kiev and two losses from their opening three games, did not arrive as lambs to the slaughter, finding solace in the fact that more than 12,000 of their compatriots, many living in Spain had bought tickets.

And they were soon snapping at their aristocratic hosts, Ovidiu Petre earning a booking for a foul on Guti.

Ivan Helguera had a chance to break the deadlock on 25 minutes but his header after good work by Roberto Carlos was off target.

Stelian Stancu set up Nicolita in the dying embers of the opening period but the latter had strayed offside as the visitors refused to be overawed, even after Nicolita's tragi-comic moment which sealed matters.