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Score: Leganes 1-3 Real Madrid
Goalscorers: Bustinza 6'; Vazquez 11', Casemiro 29', Ramos 90'
Real Madrid exacted revenge on Leganes for dumping them out of the Copa Del Rey by winning 3-1 on the night. The Butarque side got off to the best possible start when Unai Bustinza bundled home a scrappy goal in the sixth minute to give Leganes the lead.
Lucas Vazquez equalised at the half-hour mark while Casemiro gave Madrid the lead courtesy of a fine team goal. Sergio Ramos confirmed all three points for the visitors with a well-taken penalty right at the death. On that note, let's go into the finer details of the game and discuss the key talking points that emerged from the Madrid victory:
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#5 Zinedine Zidane rings in the changes
The gaffer had earlier revealed in his press conference that Cristiano Ronaldo was going to be rested for the Leganes clash. In addition to the great man, Keylor Navas was given a night off and Gareth Bale was on the bench. The trio of Marcelo, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric missed the game due to injuries.
This meant that Madrid had to flex their strength in depth, something that has backfired badly on Zidane this season. The likes of Theo Hernandez and Matteo Kovacic were given a start with Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio deployed on the flanks.
When Leganes took the lead, it seemed like Zidane had missed a trick by taking such a big risk. But Real Madrid soon got on the act and displayed their superior attacking prowess to that of their opposition.
#4 Real Madrid still in search of an elusive clean sheet
In the last fortnight, Madrid's attack has been admired with the attacking unit scoring three against Paris Saint-Germain and five against Real Betis. It was the case against Leganes as well where Los Meringues notched up three more goals.
But the defence at the same time has struggled for consistency. Against Leganes, Real Madrid had their regular backline (barring Marcelo) but at times, the defence still looked shaky. They also conceded a soft goal with indecisiveness in the box leading to the hosts' goal. Madrid had also conceded three against Real Betis at the weekend.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid's last clean sheet in all competitions came against Leganes in the first leg of the Copa Del Rey where they won 1-0. Their last league clean sheet came way back in December when they romped to a 5-0 win. Zidane's men have shipped in 27 goals in La Liga this season which is the fifth-best record in the country.
#3 Lucas Vazquez impresses again
In the last two games, Marco Asensio has grabbed all the headlines for Real Madrid. His match-winning cameo against PSG followed by a brace against Betis has seen him deservedly be in the news. But in all this, one Madrid attacker has gone below the radar who has equally been impressive in recent weeks.
Lucas Vazquez has played brilliantly in February and has effectively kept Gareth Bale out of the team. He delivered two assists against Betis and was again on song against Leganes. With one goal and one assist, Vazquez was one of the best players for Real Madrid on the night.
The 26-year-old scored a fine equaliser, hitting a low first-time shot at the far post. His assist was also eye-catching as he played Casemiro on with a first touch to take two defenders out of the equation. Vazquez has now been involved in 10 goals in this calendar year in all competitions.
#2 Second string midfield shines on the night
With Kroos and Modric out injured, it was the duo of Isco and Kovacic who were assigned to play alongside Casemiro in the midfield against Leganes. For larger durations of the game, Madrid's midfield had the upper hand over the opposition with Kovacic particularly being impressive.
Kovacic often dropped deep to get into possession and carried the ball forward with conviction. He utilised the ball well and had a passing accuracy of 97% - the highest in the game. His runs into the box also won Madrid the penalty right at the death.
With him dropping deep, Casemiro received the license to bomb forward which resulted in him getting in the right position to score. Isco was influential in the first half but jaded as the game went on. But overall, Madrid's three-man midfield had the right mix of creativity and guile to have an upper hand over Leganes.
#1 Worrying signs for Gareth Bale
Real Madrid started out with a second string side on the night. The Welshman has not been in the best of form recently and one would expect Zinedine Zidane to give Bale a run in this game. But just as against PSG, Bale had to be satisfied with a place on the bench.
This has to ring alarm bells for the forward. When the players such as Vazquez and Kovacic who are below Bale's pecking order are getting a try out whereas Bale is still not being trusted by the manager, one can feel that his time may be coming to an end at the Bernabeu.
Employed as a striker in the last league outing, Bale failed to make a mark. Here against Leganes, Bale played the final quarter of the game and looked sharp with his touches and movement. His little cameo proved that he is fit and ready to start but has to do more to usurp the likes of Asensio and Vazquez for a starting berth.
