Real Madrid defeated Numancia 3-0, taking a massive lead into the second leg. The scoreline was flattering though, as Madrid were far from dominant.
Lineup
Zinedine Zidane used the Copa del Rey to freshen things up a bit, giving starting opportunities to some players who haven’t gotten enough minutes yet this season. Dani Ceballos, Marcos Llorente, Borja Mayoral, and Theo Hernandez all got starting berths against Numancia. Also in the lineup was Gareth Bale, who made his first start for Madrid since September after recovering from injury.
📋 Here's tonight's starting XI to face @cdnumancia!#RMMovistar #RMCopa pic.twitter.com/nFCGIXSgRa
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) January 4, 2018
First Half
Real Madrid dominated possession for much of the first half, but didn’t have much to show for it. Numancia managed to create a few dangerous opportunities from corners, with Diamanka causing Madrid’s defense some problems. For the first half hour, the score remained level, with neither side able to break through.
That all changed at the 33rd minute mark when Lucas Vazquez broke through in the box, and had both of his feet swiped out from under him by a Numancia defender. Gareth Bale stepped up to the penalty, and slotted it away. Numancia may feel hard done by, as just minutes earlier a Numancia player was brought down in the box by Theo Hernandez, but the ref waved the play on.
The remainder of the first half happened just as before, with Real Madrid controlling possession, but Numancia still able to pass through Real Madrid’s midfield with ease more than it should have been able to. Madrid went into halftime with slime one-nil lead. This version of Madrid is frustratingly permeable, and better teams will continue to punish Madrid if Zidane doesn’t get that problem solved soon.
Second Half
Numancia had another penalty appeal denied approximately ten minutes into the second half, but this time there was even less contact than the first, and Higinio was shown a yellow for the dive.
At the 60th minute mark, Diamanka dragged his cleats across Nacho’s calf, and earned himself a second yellow card. With that, Numancia were down to ten men, and their chances of finding a way back got even slimmer.
Real Madrid were far from perfect, despite having the man advantage. Real Madrid really failed to impose themselves on the match for much of the second half. Madrid continued to dominate possession, Numancia continued to create a few moments of danger.
The second half continued much like the first, with a Lucas Vazquez winning a deserved penalty from getting kicked down in Numancia’s box. With Bale subbed off early, Isco stepped up to take this penalty and smashed it away.
Just minutes later, bad defending from Numancia let Borja Mayoral get onto the end of a pin-point cross from Achraf Hakimi, and Mayoral headed home for Madrid’s third goal to seal the deal.
Concluding thoughts
The 3-0 scoreline was quite flattering compared to Madrid’s overall performance. Real Madrid looked in this match like they have for much this season – occasionally dominant in possession, but rarely decisive in the final third, and way too permeable in defense. Madrid’s passing in attack has been downright sloppy, something that showed against Numancia. Madrid’s attack has plenty of energy, and does well to circulate the ball in dangerous areas, but the final pass seems to just clatter into defenders.
Even after Numancia went down a man, Real Madrid couldn’t prevent them from creating a few moments of danger in their area. If Madrid fans were looking for a convincing victory following their embarrassing defeat to FC Barcelona, they did not find it here.
There were a few positives to take from this match though. Many of the players who started this evening have barely gotten minutes this season. You can hardly blame them for being a bit rusty, and this gave them an opportunity to get their match fitness up ahead of a crucial time in the season.
A win is a win, and Real Madrid scored three crucial away goals in one of the tournaments that remains which could salvage their season. All in all, a decent day at the office, even if the performance wasn’t the most convincing.
Next: Real Madrid miss out as Rafa Mir signs for Wolves