Copa del Rey 2018-19, UD Melilla vs Real Madrid CF: 5 Talking points

Modified Nov 01, 2018 09:50 GMT

This was Solari's first game as the interim manager after Julen Lopetegui was let go by the club earlier this week

#3 Vinicius was Real's best threat in attack

Vinicius is a rather unknown quantity, but the club agreed a $53Million deal for him a couple of seasons ago, and he finally got the first senior start of his Real Madrid career

Vinicius Jr. was handed the opportunity to dazzle the Estadio Municipal Álvarez Claro and the world with his talents from the first whistle, which a lot of Real fans have been calling for, given his exploits for Castilla and the club's own struggles in front of goal this season.

He set up Marco Asensio at the stroke of half-time with a beautiful pass with the outside of his right boot, and inadvertently assisted Alvaro Odriozola's first goal in a Real Madrid shirt.

He was very unfortunate to not have gotten on the scoresheet tonight as his beautiful curling shot from the edge of the box came back off the crossbar in the 72nd minute and he was easily the most dangerous looking player going forward on the night.

His teammates were looking to feed him the ball in the channels to create chances quite often throughout the match.

All his best traits were on display today, and while it may not be against the best opposition, but it's a step in the right direction, and it justifies fans' calls for him to be given more minutes in the first team squad following the summer departure of club legend Cristiano Ronaldo.

Edited by Alan John