Real Madrid knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Leganes – How it happened
By Alex McVey
Real Madrid were eliminated from the Copa del Rey by Leganes, with a final scoreline of 1-2, 2-2 on aggregate, Leganes advancing on away goals. Here’s how it happened.
First Half
Madrid looked active and hungry, and there was lots of good work in the midfield to advance the ball. Isco and Asensio were both impressive with their dribbling in the center of the park, but the final pass placement still wasn’t quite there. Lucas Vazquez was really active in the opening minutes of the match, terrorizing Leganes’ defense on the right hand side, but couldn’t manage to find anyone in the center.
After twenty minutes or so, Leganes began to build into the match, and it looked like they would start posing Madrid some problems. Ultimately Leganes made the pressure tell. Achraf tried to make a back-pass to Nacho but weighted it poorly, and Nacho was soon overran by Javi Eraso. Eraso placed a well-slotted shot into the top corner past Kiko Casilla, making it Madrid 0 – 1 Leganes. Leganes looked in control for the remainder of the first half, and Madrid were in need of a much better second half if they wanted to advance in the Copa.
Second Half
The first half began eventfully, with Leganes pushing forward to attack, and Madrid breaking on the counter. Madrid were the first to make it count, as Lucas Vazquez found Karim Benzema in space, and the Frenchman chipped it over the keeper.
It didn’t take long for Leganes to push ahead, as Eraso found Gabriel in the box off a corner, and Gabriel headed into the back of the net. Real Madrid found themselves down and behind on away goals, needing to chase the match.
It looked all too predictable from Madrid going forward, as Madrid circulated possession and tried crossing into the box without finding anyone. Zidane made a double substitution at the 68th minute, substituting Carvajal for Achraf, and Modric for Llorente. It’s ridiculous that Zidane didn’t have more offensive firepower on the bench for this occasion, as both Bale and Ronaldo were left out of the squad. Borja Mayoral replaced Isco in the 78th minute.
The inclusion of Modric did seem to inspire the squad. Madrid began turning up the pressure, and looked like they might be able to get one in. But ultimately the shots weren’t landing, and Madrid watched the time trickle away without a goal. The match ended 1-2 in favor of Leganes, 2-2 on aggregate, and Madrid were knocked out on away goals.
Final Thoughts
Zidane really biffed this one. There’s no excuse for not fielding the strongest possible lineup, at least in the squad. Yes, Madrid were playing Leganes. But a 1-0 away goal lead is nothing, especially given the form of Madrid at the Bernabéu this season. Zidane had no options on the bench besides Modric and Carvajal, and was sorely missing a reliable goalscorer at least on the bench when Madrid had to chase the game.
Next: Will Thibaut Courtois be Real Madrid's Kepa alternative?
Real Madrid are almost certainly going trophyless this season. Madrid would have to produce an absolute miracle in the Champions League and beat a bunch of teams that are currently playing much better football than Madrid. This is a disastrous result, and Zidane’s job prospects have to be looking grim from here on out.