Real Madrid were handed their first defeat in all competitions on Tuesday night, falling 3-2 to Leipzig in the Champions League.
The Spanish giants got their night started on the wrong foot, falling behind 2-0 before the 20th minute of play.
Although Vinicius cut into the deficit just before the break, Timo Werner came off the bench to seal the deal for the German side in the 81st minute, as Rodrygo’s penalty with the last kick of the game changed little.
Vini scored in Real Madrid’s first defeat of the season and allowed the possibility of an equalizer after a disastrous start, thanks to a rare, but beautiful, headed goal.
The question is what he didn’t do. It’s not that he misses goals or not, it’s that on many occasions he doesn’t choose what is best for the game and for his team.
He is a born playmaker, a world-class creator, but more often than necessary he makes the wrong decisions. That, however, seems easier to learn than the end product.
CAMAVINGA, A DELIGHT
It seems certain that Tchouameni will play more than him, and probably rightly so, because in today’s football his skills are more necessary.
But Camavinga is a delight of a footballer. His turns after controlling after receiving with his back turned should be taught in schools, even though he is more of a student than an accomplished footballer.
He is one of the most entertaining players to watch at Real Madrid, which is saying a lot in a squad with Modric, Benzema, Vini, Rodrygo and Asensio. He is a footballer who is worth the price of admission.
ASENSIO’S POSITIVE PATH
Marco’s first start this season, an almost uncanny phenomenon for a player of his status. But Asensio, after a troubled summer and a depressing start to the season, seems to have found the right path.
His contribution to Real Madrid‘s first goal reflects an aggressive, daring, assertive player, something that has been lacking on too many occasions. With the World Cup on the horizon, his future at Real Madrid could be different if he continues to change his attitude.
DEPARTURE OF NKUNKU
He has long been on Florentino and Jose Angel Sanchez‘s wish list, although the explosion of Vinicius and Rodrygo makes it difficult for him to secure a move to Los Blancos. But the reports were not wrong.
Nkunku has that spark of a special player, that nip and tuck that distinguishes the right player from a different one. Yes, he could have been born for Real Madrid, but it’s quite possible that his birth certificate has been misplaced in some office in Valdebebas.
A VINTAGE FLAVOR
A trip to Leipzig made many seasoned Madridistas fear that they were reliving old nightmares in Germany. Kaiserslautern, Hamburg, Mönchengladbach and, of course, Bayern Munich, familiar ghosts for the Madrid fans, who were shaken by early goals from Gvardiol (a tremendous game from the Croatian defender) and Nkunku.
Europe is unforgiving of napping, and even less so if it is mixed with lapses in defending two corner kicks. But times change, and any resemblance between the old European Cup and today’s unblemished Champions League is more anecdote than rule.
Defeat, in fact, only damages Real Madrid‘s appearance, cutting short their historic start, and their wallet, as UEFA does not pay losers.
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