Real Madrid beat Malaga with a final score-line of 3-2. It wasn’t easy, but Madrid got all three points. Here’s your quick recap of the match.
First Half
Real Madrid looked active in the first half, trying to start the match with intensity. Isco was all over the place in the first 10-20 minutes, trying to impose himself on the match.
Madrid also did well to play through the full-backs, with both Marcelo and Carvajal pulling the strings on the flanks. Marcelo in particular looked to spark the action with his crossing. Unfortunately his touch was just a bit off, as he attempted to spark a number of attacks through outlet passes over the top which failed to find the onrushing attacker.
But finally, Marcelo dialed in his crossing, and found Cristiano Ronaldo who leapt over his defender in the box and headed the ball onto the cross-bar. The ball bounced to Karim Benzema who used his head to tap the ball into an empty net. With that goal, Benzema moves into the top seven of Real Madrid goalscorers (according to the BeIN Sports announcer).
Benzema and Ronaldo have come in for a lot of criticism for their finishing lately, with many questioning the long-term viability of them as a two-man strike partnership. Against APOEL, and now against Malaga, Benzema and Ronaldo have connected well together, potentially silencing some of those critics for at least a while.
With that, it was 1-0 to Madrid with nine minutes played, and everything looks rosy for Zidane. It was not to last, as Real Madrid soon found themselves under pressure at the other end of the pitch. Diego Rolan found the back of the net after a bit of defensive chaos from Madrid. Vallejo got caught out of sorts after a sloppy giveaway by Madrid, and the young center-back gave his attacker too much space in the box and Rolan slots away past Casilla.
That’s escalated quickly.... #RMAMAL pic.twitter.com/hewbrl9hNb
— M•A•J (@UltraSuristic_) November 25, 2017
It was just that kind of match, though, as Malaga’s hopes of staying level would not last long. Casemiro latched onto a cleared ball in the midfield and sent one of his characteristic long sloping shots toward goal. It was deflected for a corner, and the same person who created the corner slotted it away. Madrid overloaded Malaga’s defense in the box, and some tricky movement by Ronaldo and good positioning by Varane allowed Casemiro plenty of space for a header straight into Malaga’s net.
Madrid looked mostly in control for the remainder of the half, save a scary moment in the first half’s added time. A header from Malaga found its way into the back of the net, but the goal was disallowed for a very soft foul on Carvajal. Madrid were lucky to go into the break with a 2-1 lead.
Second Half
Real Madrid started the second half like the first, with lots of intensity, and Isco at the center of things. Malaga’s keeper Roberto continued his upward trend from the first half, making crucial saves against Ronaldo and Kroos to keep Madrid from going up three.
That proved crucial, as Malaga were soon to find an equalizer. Both Vallejo and Kroos allowed Malaga’s Chory far too much space on the outside of the box and he queued up a banger of a shot from distance which deflected off Vallejo and skipped past Casilla into the goal.
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Madrid instantly went on the hunt for a go-ahead goal, as Marcelo and Benzema began pouring on the pressure from the left. Ronaldo began to cast a frustrated figure, as the goals simply didn’t look like they would land. He nearly had an open-net opportunity after Varane dangerously placed the ball for him in the center of the box, but he just couldn’t manage to make contact with the ball.
Zidane eventually subbed Modric on for Isco, and the Croatian wizard took control of the match. Modric didn’t take long to make an impact, as he won a penalty in the box.
Ronaldo stepped up to the penalty, and was nearly frustrated yet again. Roberto, who had been in God-mode the whole match long, smacked away Ronaldo’s first attempt. But Ronaldo was there on the pounce, and found the rebound which he slotted away into the back of the net. With that goal, Ronaldo broke his duck, and finally got back to scoring ways in La Liga.
Ronaldo nearly got his brace after a counter-attack, but Vazquez the provider was wrongly ruled offside. It was a pretty poor day by the referees, getting decisions wrong which benefitted both teams.
The match ended 3-2, as Madrid got all three points after a hard-fought match against La Liga’s 18th placed team.
Final thoughts
Real Madrid had a tougher time against Malaga than they would have liked. There are still some serious defensive issues to work out. The back line simply does not look confident, and Kiko Casilla could do much better at organizing and communicating with his back line.
It’s also a real shame that we didn’t get to see Dani Ceballos this match. But, to be fair to Zidane, his substitution of Modric for Isco really did turn the match in Madrid’s favor. Credit to Zidane for making the tough choice there, even if it meant we STILL don’t get to see enough of Dani Ceballos.
Next: Injury report- Marco Asensio out injured