Real Madrid’s younger prospects joined Spain’s U-21 side as they looked to qualify for Euro 2019. In a thriller of a match, it was Borja Mayoral and Dani Ceballos who helped ensure the win against Northern Ireland. Here are the details from the match.
With the football world on the international break, 20 players from Real Madrid joined their respective national teams. Spain’s U-21 national team played their fifth match in their efforts to qualify for the Euro 2019 tournament.
The match squad featured of three players from Real Madrid, of which two picked up minutes. Both players had great games for their country and were pivotal in ensuring that their team was able to grab all available points. With the win, the Spainish U-21 side has picked up all 15 points from their five fixtures.
The match was an absolute thriller, with four goals in the first half alone, two from both Spain and Northern Ireland.
A back and forth first-half built up an abundance of anticipation during the intermission. The second-half followed suit and showcased the talents of Madrid’s products. Here’s a look at how Ceballos and Mayoral contributed to the success of their team.
Dani Ceballos
Ceballos has struggled to pick up minutes under Zidane, so much so the Spaniard may now be on his way to Liverpool or even returning to Real Betis come this summer. Dani made his move to Real last summer with hopes of breaking into the midfield but with a plethora of competition and a cold shoulder from Zidane, he has been unable to do so.
The 21-year-old ranks 22nd in minutes played this season on the roster. Dani has been in the squad just 39% of the time this season and has only played 55% of the time he has been included in the squad.
While his playing time with Madrid has been slim, he has been given a great deal of responsibility with the Spain U-21 side. In the match against Northern Ireland, the midfielder was handed the Captain’s armband and showed his impressive maturity.
Spain gave up the lead three times but Ceballos had the poise to keep his side pushing forward. Along with a strong mindset, Ceballos setup Real Sociedad’s Mikel Oyarzabal just 15-minutes in.
Borja Mayoral
Much like Dani Ceballos, Borja Mayoral is a recent arrival and has struggled to pick up minutes at Real Madrid. The Spaniard has been sidelined on multiple occasions in lieu of first-team striker Karim Benzema.
Borja has participated in just 41% of the matches Real Madrid has had this season and has been handed 1,614 minutes less than Benzema. Despite this huge gap in minutes which amounts to 17.9 total games, Borja has scored five goals while Karim has scored eight.
In this match, however, Borja took advantage of his time on the pitch and put Benz on notice. The youngster helped drive his team to victory because of his stunning hat-trick. Mayoral’s three goals came in the second half, all in a 37 minute window.
Conclusion
Great performances by players who don’t get much playing time in their domestic leagues might seem like a dream. But with Ceballos picking up and assist and Mayoral bagging a hat-trick for his side, Madrid fans and manager Zinedine Zidane can be nothing less than ecstatic.
Next: Real Madrid’s defense continues to falter
It is two Madrid players at the Spain U-21 side that lead their team in scoring, with four goals each. Though neither one has found consistent minutes this season, this performance can only mean that their time will come.