Real Madrid’s biggest game of the season thus far took place against Borussia Monchengladbach in the final Champions League group stage match. Los Blancos were up to the challenge.
Zinedine Zidane’s job was very much in doubt heading into the sixth and final group stage game of the 2020-2021 Champions League campaign. Real Madrid were coming off a second loss to Shakhtar Donetsk, and anything less than a victory against Borussia Monchengladbach would have meant a trip to the Europa League or worse.
Los Blancos ensured that their destiny would be in their hands. Karim Benzema headed home two first-half goals to give Real Madrid a 2-0 lead. Real maintained possession, restricted Gladbach to just a couple of decent chances after Alassane Plea’s near-miss, and even created a few excellent goal-scoring opportunities for themselves. T
The result was a thoroughly impressive 2-0 victory for Los Blancos at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano. Real Madrid kept a clean sheet and delivered one of their best performances of the season in a must-win match. And they could have won by even more.
Let’s take a look at three takeaways from Real Madrid’s dominant win over Gladbach, which sends Los Merengues through to the Round of 16 of the Champions League.
Real Madrid had a clear plan
Despite the struggles and frustrations in 2020-2021, Zinedine Zidane has not been the main culprit for the issues Real Madrid have dealt with this season. But if there was one especially valid criticism of the three-peat Champions League manager, then it was his lack of a cohesive plan for Los Blancos in many of the team’s matches.
In this win over Borussia Monchengladbach, Zidane put his best foot forward and really embarrassed Marco Rose, who is widely regarded as one of the top managers in Germany.
Zidane pressed Gladbach so effectively that the visitors could scarcely get the ball out of their own half in the opening 45. By then, Real Madrid essentially had the game won. They never loosened their pressure and did a great job of forcing Gladbach to attack wide areas, where they basically had no chance of causing harm.
Offensively, Zidane allowed Toni Kroos and Luka Modric to do what they do best. He also made sure to take advantage of Rodrygo Goes and Lucas Vazquez on the right-hand side. Crosses aren’t efficient and can frustrate Madridistas, but Zidane’s men did a great job of being smarter with their crossing. Vazquez and Luka Modric caused a lot of problems on that right side, and Vazquez was able to pick his spot with his deliveries, which paid off when looking at the opener.
Defensively, Real Madrid pressed but did not get caught out, save for one poor play that Thibaut Courtois had to rescue by getting off his line quickly to force a miss. Other than that, Real were calm when playing out of the back, stayed patient in the face of Gladbach’s counterpress, and did not lose their shape.
Karim Benzema was the man for the moment
There are several players worth praising effusively for their performances against Borussia Monchengladbach, and a special mention should go to captain Sergio Ramos for being the leader the team needed in such a pivotal Champions League clash.
But we all know Karim Benzema is the man of the hour right now after his brace against Gladbach. Benzema hadn’t scored a brace this season beyond the two goals against Huesca in Eden Hazard’s first start, and there were questions about Benzema’s consistency and effectiveness, especially without Hazard available.
Benzema has pushed past a previous injury and showed that he is still THE guy for Real Madrid by scoring twice against Gladbach. He took both of his headed chances excellently, and while he probably should have bagged a hat trick, he deserves full marks for taking his first two chances. The first headed goal, in particular, was not easy at all.
And of course, the Real Madrid striker’s chance-creation was worth praising as well. According to WhoScored.com, Benzema tied assist-provider Lucas Vazquez and world-class passer Toni Kroos for the team lead with five key passes. He won two dribbles. Benzema’s all-around play has made him one of the world’s most highly-regarded No. 9’s, and he added another big match to his legendary resume on Wednesday night at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano.
Lucas Vazquez deserves our full gratitude
Right back is clearly not Lucas Vazquez’s natural position, but he has carried himself with aplomb at the position by making up for his lack of training with no shortage of effort. Vazquez runs and runs and runs defensively, never wanting to look the weak link in a star-studded XI. Dani Carvajal is missed whenever he does not start, but, on this night, Real Madrid did not feel the absence of the all-world fullback.
Vazquez was marvelous, just as he was in another big match this season at the Camp Nou when Real Madrid won 3-1. In this match against Borussia Monchengladbach, Vazquez created the opening goal with a wonderful lofted cross. His five key passes show how crucial his crossing was to Real’s chance-creation vs. Gladbach, and his 93 passes, which tied Toni Kroos for highest on the team, show just how important he was to the overall build-up play.
Kroos and Luka Modric dominated the midfield, but, together, Modric, Vazquez, and Rodrygo Goes made the right-hand side Real Madrid’s for the duration of the match. Oscar Wendt was powerless against these three players, who created copious chances for the team.
Vazquez looked like a star. His crossing was pinpoint, his intensity was off the charts, and his fouls were smart and helped Real Madrid avoid any surprises in transition. There were a lot of standout performances at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano on Wednesday night, and Vazquez’s should not get lost among them.