Blues Storm Madrid's Fortress
Written on February 27th, 2020 by {"login"=>"jcbitshyd", "email"=>"journal@hyderabad.bits-pilani.ac.in", "display_name"=>"Journal Club, BPHC", "first_name"=>"", "last_name"=>""}It’s the 78th minute, and Los Blancos had withstood constant pressure from an organised and disciplined City. They had weathered the storm and capitalised on their chance to take the lead in the first leg of Champions League round of 16. The Bernabeu echoed with loud cheers of “Hala Madrid” and “Vamos Ramos”, their team had stepped up in perhaps the most important week of their campaign. The disappointments of an early Copa del Rey exit and blowing a 5 point lead at the top of the La Liga table had long dissolved, and the adrenaline rush of a Champions League night at home and riled up fans.
However, Manchester City had other plans. Having adopted a conservative tiki-taka approach since the arrival of Pep Guardiola, the Premier League side dominated possession throughout the game, squandering easy one on ones in front of the goal. City could have easily scored more than once in the first half of the game and had only themselves to blame for it. At the same time, Real Madrid started slow and were defending deep and only looking for clear chances. Both teams came very close to taking the lead, forcing excellent saves from Thibaut Courtois and Ederson off shots from Gabriel Jesus and Karim Benzema respectively.
The second half, meanwhile, changed the entire tempo of the game. Real Madrid hit the ground running with an excellent run down the left flank from Vinicius Jr, that ended in Sergio Ramos almost scoring from square in front of the goal. From then on, there was no looking back as both teams went neck to neck, engaged in a fierce battle of counterattacks and quick runs down the middle. Isco finally broke the deadlock to round off a brilliant team move, beating Ederson in the bottom left corner. At this point, Real Madrid did what they have become infamous for doing over the past 2 years, slacking off and losing the intent to play quick-paced attacking football. When a team that has traditionally relied on its wingers to cut in and create chances tries to move the ball around to pass the time, disaster is bound to befall.
The 13-time champions were entirely undone by the vision and passing of Manchester City captain and star midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, with Riyad Mahrez and Gabriel Jesus having several shots blocked off the line by Courtois and Casemiro. Owing to an ill-timed jump from Sergio Ramos, Gabriel Jesus equalised for the islanders. The introduction of Raheem Sterling and Gareth Bale at this point added more teeth to the attacks of both teams, visibly creating more space.
This was followed by a desperate slide by Carvajal on Jesus inside the penalty area, after which de Bruyne calmly slotted home from the resulting penalty.
For the Los Blancos, a night of grit and glory had turned into a horror story. To be challenged in the Champions League and be defeated at the Bernabeu was something they were not accustomed to. To cap off a miserable collapse and to make things further worse, Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos got himself sent off in the dying minutes of the game for a brutal tackle on Gabriel Jesus. The captain’s 26th red card has made him ineligible to play the second leg. However, this seemed a rather harsh decision as there was hardly any contact, and Jesus seemed hell-bent on touching the ground.
After being 1-0 up and jarring Man City, Real Madrid slumped to a 2-1 loss at home, a hunting ground for the likes of Karim Benzema and Isco.
As if it wouldn’t be a challenge overturning a lead against a relentless opposition with an impeccable home record, they have to do it without their captain and injured talisman Eden Hazard. Manchester City, on the other hand, came into this leg as the slight underdogs but will be incredibly proud of the way they kept their composure to take the game from the jaws of defeat. And unless the Galacticos can pull off a miracle, City has more or less cemented their place in the quarterfinals. However, Real Madrid are a team that cannot be written off at any point in a competition they have made their own.
Some major observations made were the poor finishing from both sides, especially from Real Madrid, for which Luka Jovic should’ve replaced Karim Benzema at half time, as well as Aguero for Jesus, though it turned out unnecessary towards the end. What the teams lacked in creativity, they made up in pace.
Manchester City, however, faced a major injury concern with centre back Aymeric Laporte limping off early in the first half.
Some positives that Real Madrid could take out of this game are the continued stellar form of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and the versatility of midfielder Federico Valverde. Both were rock solid at defence and parrying shots, while Valverde demonstrated great prowess in the attacking third, being at the right position to receive the ball and dart down the middle as and when needed.
Manchester City will be mighty pleased with the leadership of Kevin de Bruyne in the absence of David Silva, coupled with his passing proficiency and the nifty footwork of Riyad Mahrez, highlighted by his fakes and finishing with his weak foot. No team can afford to sit back, with both being potential candidates for lifting the trophy at Istanbul in May. Daunting tasks await both teams, as Real Madrid take on Barcelona in the El Clasico in the upcoming week, while Man City have high voltage games against Arsenal and arch-rivals Manchester United in the build-up to the second leg. This indicates that both teams cannot afford to rest their stars, posing a significant threat of exhaustion to the squads prior to the much-awaited game.
Modern football has become a war of attrition, with the champions separated by minute details such as the bench strength, medical staff and well-organised training regimes.
On the whole, the result promises to bring out the best of both teams in the second leg, to be played at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on March 18th.
Article written by Rajas Raje