Real Madrid: 3 takeaways from a 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid

Credit to Karim Benzema for his heart

Karim Benzema was not 100 percent for this game. We weren’t sure he would even start in El Derbi until a day or two before the match, as he has been out for a couple of weeks since being subbed off after scoring in a 2-0 win over Valencia.

But with Mariano Diaz out, Karim’s importance to the team was even more magnified. He needed to be out there in such a pivotal fixture against Atletico Madrid, so he took it upon himself to fight through any discomfort.

Benzema was clearly not at his best for much of the match, failing to take chances and even making a few questionable decisions with his passing and movement. But the key was he never stopped moving and getting into these dangerous positions, even at less than full strength.

In the end, Benzema scored the game-tying goal, just as many Madridistas had almost sensed. Because when there’s a big moment in a big match, Benzema is the man to come up with the goods. He atoned for missing a clear-cut chance provided by a world-class pass from Vinicius Junior, and he most directly made up for a flubbed opportunity when he shot well over the bar instead of passing to a through-on-goal Casemiro. And this time, when he did make the pass to Case, the Brazilian midfielder returned the favor for the decisive assist.

My hat is off to Benzema for being a giant once again.