James Rodriguez entered the final 10 minutes of the match as a substitute for Gareth Bale, and he made a profound impact on the match by starting one counterattack before finishing another for the decisive goal.
Real Madrid jumped out to an early 3-0 lead on second-place Granada at the Santiago Bernabeu. They struck in the second minute after a brilliant assist from Gareth Bale, made it 2-0 behind Eden Hazard’s chip, and then received a third in the 61st from a wonderstrike outside the box by substitute Luka Modric.
But Los Blancos threatened to blow the game. First, Alphonse Areola made a woeful mistake at the back that gifted a penalty, which Granada gladly converted. Then, Raphael Varane lost his marker for the second goal, shortly after making a goal-saving clearance on the first corner.
In the dying moments of what became a tense match, James Rodriguez sealed the game in Real Madrid’s favor. He made it 4-2 by finishing cooly from right back Alvaro Odriozola’s dangerous low ball into the box.
And Real fans celebrated their beloved substitute, who came on just about 10 minutes earlier for first-half hero Bale, scoring a meaningful goal.
James has been brilliant this season, especially against Levante and Sevilla. He hasn’t been a regular in the lineup lately, but with Toni Kroos potentially injured, it seems impossible to keep him out. The Colombian certainly made a strong case with his briefly brilliant performance vs. Granada.
I love James Rodriguez so much.
— Muddassir Hussain (@muddassirjourno) October 5, 2019
How can anyone not love James?
The crowd chanting James. Goosebumps all over my arms man, thank god this man stayed at the love of his life, Real Madrid.
— Xav Salazar (@XavsFutbol) October 5, 2019
At this point, it’s hard to imagine Real Madrid without James Rodriguez. A match made in heaven.
James thank you!!
— nancy (@iscoballer) October 5, 2019
As you can see, James is loved by all corners of the Madrid fanbase, and this goal meant everything to both him and the club’s supporters. It sealed a 4-2 win for La Liga’s leaders over the impressive second-place side Granada, which had recently defeated Real’s arch rivals Barcelona 2-0. Granada gave Real quite the scare, but, thanks to James’s goal, all was quickly forgive and forgotten.
It will be exciting to see how James does for the rest of the campaign, as Zinedine Zidane has been impressed with the Colombian. He’s certainly earned his place as a regular.