Real Madrid grabbed a late winner to defeat Leganes 1-0, carrying an away goal into the second leg of the Copa del Rey Quarterfinals. Here’s your recap.
Lineup
Zinedine Zidane’s lineup choices had plenty of people scratching their heads before the match. Despite the fact that the Copa del Rey is now a must-win competition for Real Madrid, and despite the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo himself emphasized to the team just how important the Cup is, Zidane decided to roll out a heavily rotated lineup. Not only were the BBC – Bale, Benzema, and Ronaldo, not included in the starting XI, they weren’t even available on the bench as substitutes.
For those hoping that Zidane would make better use of the squad players, they certainly got their wish against Leganes.
📋 Our starting line-up for tonight's Copa del Rey quarter-final first leg match against @CDLeganes. ¡VAMOS!
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) January 18, 2018
#RMMovistar | #RMCopa pic.twitter.com/cdLBrwj8M7
The only two players who started against Leganes who would be sure things for Zidane’s ideal starting XI were Carvajal and Varane. Last season, Zidane put faith in his B squad to get him through. This season, he has not had quite the same faith. But against Leganes, he decided to roll the dice and see what Madrid’s squad players could accomplish.