Match Recap: Real Madrid win 2-0 against Getafe

Real Madrid played their first match of the 2018/19 La Liga season on Sunday as they hosted Getafe. Here’s a look at a quick look at the match.

After the 4-2 defeat to neighbours Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup last week, many were worried about the potential of this squad. The extra time loss worried fans as the defence looked vulnerable making several silly mistakes. This match though was a second chance for Real to start the season on the right foot.

First Half

Real Madrid came out of the gates full steam ahead for their first game at the Bernabeu. The crowd got into it early as the Whites worked swiftly and efficiently. After last weeks match against Atletico the starting XI was highly anticipated.

Julen Lopotegui elected to start Dani Ceballos which was quite a shocking move. Ceballos only started in a handful of matches last season under Zinedine Zidane but was placed into the starting XI for the first match of the season. Casemiro who picked up a knock made a short appearance substituting into the match. Luka Modric and Raphael Varane both played in the World Cup with the former playing a few minutes and the latter getting a rest. Julen chose to give the first match at home to Keylor Navas.

Real played with their standard 4-3-3 lineup using the press that we’ve seen in previous seasons this time with a more possession-based style of play. Madrid whipped the ball around their opponents with relative ease, controlling 82% of the possession in the first half alone.

Marcelo and Carvajal moved up the pitch with grace whipping plenty of crosses into the box. Gareth Bale had some great chances of his own showing off his amazing touch and shooting ability. The first goal though would come from an unlikely source, Dani Carvajal. The wing-back picked up on a punched effort from the Getafe goalie heading it into the back of the net from distance. Dani’s cheeky yet intelligent goal put Real up 1-0.

Other players would get some great chances in the remaining of the half but the scoreline stayed 1-0. Madrid would continue to control the game heading into half-time showing great poise on the ball.

Second Half

Real Madrid picked up right where they left off against their opponents proving to be a menace as their opponents were shown four yellow cards in the second half alone. Real played a big game and the stat sheet clearly backed it up.

Los Blancos continued to run riot against Getafe with the possession in their favour with a 78% – 22% split. Over 50% of the attack came from the left flank and that was evident as Marco Asensio and Marcelo caused plenty of problems.

Madrid would score one more and final goal of the match in the 51-minute through Gareth Bale. The Welshman has been in superb form and continued it yesterday. The pull backcross from Marco Asensio was a neat idea, showing his selflessness at such a young age. Marco’s cross reached Gareth Bale who hit it in one time with too much force for the goalie to keep it out.

Over the remainder of the half Real continued to control possession, the match finishing with a 78%-22% split. Getafe resulted in playing a counter-attacking game sitting deep. With Real clearly in control Julen Lopotegui elected to use all three substitutions available to him in the second half.

Brazilian Casemiro played nearly the whole second-half coming in for Isco who had flashes of brilliance himself. World Cup Finalist Luka Modric made a 20-minute appearance coming in for the surprising starter, Dani Ceballos. It was a great chance for Modric to get some minutes in without too much toll on the body. The final substitution would be Lucas Vazquez for goalscorer Gareth Bale. All three made a solid contribution to the squad showing their importance to this team.

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