Real Madrid will be in the knockout round of the Champions League for the twenty-eighth time. Chamartín’s team maintained its record of victories in the top continental competition after defeating Braga this Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabéu, who wasted a penalty to take the lead in the cork and once again paid dearly for their defensive tenderness, certifying the pass with two days in advance. If the whites draw with Naples on the next date, they will also do so as first in the group, after the Partenopeans failed against Union Berlin and the gap that separates them from Carlo Ancelotti’s troops widened to five points.
A goal from Brahim in the first half served to anesthetize the Portuguese team, combative from the start but which quickly dissipated, and showed that there is also life for Real Madrid beyond Bellingham. The man from Malaga, until now a supporting actor in Carlo Ancelotti’s plans, took advantage of the Briton’s substitution due to his battered left shoulder to act as the ‘5’ and ask for a greater share of the screen. Two goals in as many starts are more than enough guarantee for Ancelotti to move from words to actions and release the rope to a talented and spirited footballer who forgave the second but left with a standing ovation from the Santiago Bernabéu.
By then, the La Castellana venue had become a sambadrome thanks to Rodrygo and Vinicius, two other figures who took advantage of Bellingham’s replacement to claim themselves away from the long shadow of the Stourbridge all-rounder. The debut of Nico Paz, Castilla’s great promise, served to round off the party on a night in which Ancelotti only lacked the detail of introducing Arda Güler to society. The white parish is burning with desire to finally see the Ottoman star and Carletto missed a perfect opportunity to attend to the wishes of his fans. It’s a shame that it doesn’t detract from the good management of a match in which Real Madrid knew how to recover from a couple of premature setbacks to end up wearing a smile from ear to ear.
Real Madrid
Lunin, Lucas Vázquez (Carvajal, min. 73), Rüdiger, Nacho, Mendy (Fran García, min. 83), Camavinga, Valverde (Nico Paz, min. 77), Kroos, Brahim (Modric, min. 73), Rodrygo (Joselu, min. 77) and Vinicius.
3
–
0
Braga
Matheus, Víctor Gómez (Mendes, min. 62), Fonte, Niakaté, Borja, Moutinho, Vitor Carvalho, Zalazar (Al Musrati, min. 62), Bruma (André Horta, min. 77), Ricardo Horta (Abel Ruiz, min. . 62) and Álvaro Djaló (Banza min. 77).
Goles: 1-0: min. 27, Brahim. 2-0: min. 58, Vinicius. 3-0: min. 61, Rodrygo.
Referee: Halil Umut Meler (Türkiye). He admonished Lucas Vázquez.
Incidents: Match corresponding to the fourth day of the group stage of the Champions League, played at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Kepa’s injury in the pre-match warm-up forced Ancelotti to take Lunin out of reserve, unprecedented since the League match against Almería. But the local fans must have thought that there is no silver lining when the Ukrainian saved the penalty taken by Álvaro Djaló after an innocent grab by Lucas Vázquez on Borja at the dawn of the fight.
The Galician fell prey to the recreational and somewhat eventful spirit with which the confrontation dawned. Far from being a victim of stage fright on their first visit to the Bernabéu, Braga attended the event with an expansive spirit and found a lead from Lucas Vázquez’s band.
Real Madrid, with their belt too loose in the division, took a while to take the pulse of the night, but when they did they exuded hierarchy and efficiency. The volley was evident from a deep pass from Mendy to Rodrygo, who broke the offside to rush to the line and serve a ball back that Brahim sent into the net with his left boot. The player from Malaga had had a goal disallowed due to a previous foul by Vinicius. Hence, he celebrated his third goal in the Champions League, his first as a Real Madrid player after the two he scored with Milan, performing the VAR gesture.
Redemption
There was no doubt this time about the legality of something that changed the face of the fight. With the balance uneven, Real Madrid found the necessary calm to bring Braga to heel, a squad that shines with the ball but whose defensive architecture is failing. He especially suffered from the raids of Brahim and Rodrygo, who forged a promising partnership on the inside while Vinicius lacked a spark.
The Fluminense was subdued in the first half, but more than redeemed itself upon returning to the locker room. He first left Brahim one-on-one with Matheus and shortly after doubled the home team’s lead with a cross shot from a pass from Lucas Vázquez that turned the Bernabéu into a sambadrome. Because the ‘7’, who reached Fernando Morientes’ 17 goals in the Champions League wearing the Real Madrid shirt, once again uncovered the jar of essences with a textbook counterattack and helped Rodrygo also settle in a step that only They have surpassed three legends such as Cristiano Ronaldo (105), Benzema (78) and Raúl (65). There Real Madrid definitively killed a match that opened with fear but ended placidly.
2023-11-08 22:43:54
#Real #Madrid #recovers #strength
