Real Madrid snagged a huge away victory in Munich, but didn’t leave unscathed. Isco and Carvajal were both subbed out due to injury.
The first leg of the Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich matchup in the semifinals of the Champions League appears to have taken a toll on both squads. Bayern manager Jupp Heynckes was forced to use two of his substitutes in the first half, as Jerome Boateng and Arjen Robben both went down with injury and were unable to continue.
But Bayern weren’t the only ones dealing with injury issues. Isco was subbed off at halftime for Asensio. At the time, this appeared like a tactical sub from Zidane. Isco was able to finish the first half with no apparent problem. And Asensio’s substitution worked like a charm, with Marco ultimately scoring the winning goal for Real Madrid.
It was later revealed that the substitution was due to an injury concern, rather than a tactical one. Speaking to the media after the match, Zidane explained that Isco was subbed off as a precaution due to a discomfort he was feeling in his shoulder:
"“Isco had a shoulder problem, he did not feel comfortable from the start, so we changed him at the break… We hope it is not too serious. With Isco being injured, you have no other choice than to change him. Asensio scored [but] you can’t say it’s my coaching because I replaced an injured player.”"
Later on in the second half, Dani Carvajal went down clutching at his legs. At first, it appeared that this was just gamesmanship from the Spaniard, attempting to waste time. But it didn’t take long of him coming back onto the pitch before Carvajal realized that he would be unable to finish the match, and was subbed off for Benzema, allowing Lucas Vazquez to slot into his spot.
Some on the internet seem to think that this muscle injury will keep Carvajal out of the second leg.
But it’s probably still too early to tell what the long term impact of this injury will be. Zidane stated after the match that Carvajal himself thought the injury wasn’t too serious. And Carvajal was able to get up and walk around afterwards.
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Fortunately for Madrid, Nacho has recently returned to training after suffering an injury, and should hopefully be able to provide some backup for Carvajal at the right back position.
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