The Real Champs
Fansided

Five matches that defined Real Madrid’s 2016/2017 La Liga title campaign

By Alex McVey

MALAGA, SPAIN - MAY 21: Zinedine Zidane, Manager of Real Madrid celebrates with his players after being crowned champions following the La Liga match between Malaga and Real Madrid at La Rosaleda Stadium on May 21, 2017 in Malaga, Spain. (Photo by Helios de la Rubia/Real Madrid via Getty Images)
MALAGA, SPAIN - MAY 21: Zinedine Zidane, Manager of Real Madrid celebrates with his players after being crowned champions following the La Liga match between Malaga and Real Madrid at La Rosaleda Stadium on May 21, 2017 in Malaga, Spain. (Photo by Helios de la Rubia/Real Madrid via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next

Malaga 0 – 2 Real Madrid – May 21, 2017

MALAGA, SPAIN – MAY 21: Players of Real Madrid celebrates their championship after the La Liga final match between Malaga and Real Madrid at La Rosaleda Stadium on May 21, 2017 in Malaga, Spain. (Photo by Burak Akbulut/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
MALAGA, SPAIN – MAY 21: Players of Real Madrid celebrates their championship after the La Liga final match between Malaga and Real Madrid at La Rosaleda Stadium on May 21, 2017 in Malaga, Spain. (Photo by Burak Akbulut/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) /

It all came down to the last day of the season. Having won every other remaining match after the Barca defeat, Real Madrid needed just one point against Malaga in La Rosaleda to secure the La Liga title.

But it was never going to be simple. Malaga’s coach, former Real Madrid star Michel, had turned this Malaga squad around. Malaga were in terrifyingly good form coming into this match, having beaten Barcelona, and then winning four, drawing one, and losing just one match in the lead-up to the Madrid showdown.

More from The Real Champs

Madrid also had to be wary of the Tenerife curse.  Twice in their past, Real Madrid needed points on the the last day of the season in order to win the league title, and twice in a row, they were denied by the pugnacious squad from Tenerife, who gifted the title to Barcelona on the last match day.

This match was also exemplary of the season, insofar as Barcelona fans were going to whine about it being unfair before the first match whistle was blown.

None of this mattered to Real Madrid, who came to win, and win they did.

This match exemplified Real Madrid in the later stages of the league. They scored early through a Cristiano Ronaldo goal, and although it wasn’t always pretty, they remained in control. The win was never truly in doubt.

This match also was exemplary of Real Madrid’s title winning campaign for two other reasons.

First, it gave Karim Benzema one more chance to silence his haters. Benzema has come under a lot of fire this season. And with a substitute striker as good as Alvaro Morata on the bench, it’s no wonder that fans were beginning to doubt Benzema’s place in the squad after a series of unlucky or lackluster performances. But Benzema scored the second goal to put the icing on the cake. This, combined with his excellent hold-up play in the Atletico Madrid Champions League match, offered Benzema an opportunity to demonstrate that he is still a key player in the squad.

Second, Malaga served as another stop on the Keylor Navas Redemption Tour. After an abysmal start to the season, Navas began turning in one world-class performance after another. His monster save on Sandro’s free-kick goal kept Madrid on top, and allowed Madrid to steady the nerves against a Malaga side that was out to show they meant business.

At Malaga, Real Madrid fans got to watch their team celebrate a season’s worth of hard work and determination. Watching the squad hoist Zidane into the air, knowing that celebrations at Cibeles were immanent, was a truly magical moment.

Home/Analysis