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Score: Malaga 1-2 Real Madrid
Goalscorers: Isco 29', Casemiro 63'; Rolan 90+3'
Real Madrid cruised to all three points in Andalusia against Malaga with a 2-1 victory. Isco was the star of the show on his return to La Rosaleda as the playmaker scored one and assisted the other in guiding his current team home against his former side.
He opened the scoring with a sumptuous freekick and then put the goal on a plate for Casemiro to double Madrid's lead. Malaga got one back through Diego Rolan in stoppage time after a mistake from Jesus Vallejo.
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With this win, Real Madrid have now moved up to third in the league table whereas Malaga are still rooted to the foot of the standings. So to discuss this game in further detail, let's talk about the key talking points that emerged from Real Madrid's 2-1 win:
#5 Zinedine Zidane's rotation pays off
Despite struggling in domestic competitions this season, one thing that Zidane has excelled in is his rotation of the squad and managing the minutes of his key players brilliantly for the European games. That has resulted in the squad being fresh for the Champions League games which has been evident in their run to the semis.
Against Malaga, the likes of Raphael Varane, Marcelo, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale (rested or dropped?) and Cristiano Ronaldo were given the day off. Kroos and Marcelo were on the bench whereas the others did not travel to the south of Spain.
But despite missing the core spine of the team, Real Madrid steamrolled past Malaga with a convincing display. Mateo Kovacic was useful in midfield, Isco was at his destructive best and the wingers on the night - Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio provided excellent width.
#4 Makeshift defence gave Real Madrid a few scares
After conceding three against Juventus, it was obvious that Real Madrid's defence would be under immense scrutiny against Malaga. Zidane paired Sergio Ramos and Jesus Vallejo together in central positions whereas Theo Hernandez and Dani Carvajal were deployed as the wingbacks.
Though Malaga did not create a host of chances on the night, a majority of the few they created gave Real Madrid a real scare. Malaga targeted Madrid's left flank and managed to get the better of Theo Hernandez on a number of occasions. The home side's crossing was decent on the night and caused a few problems for the Los Blancos.
The crosses weren't cleared with conviction while the goal also came courtesy of a defensive mistake from Vallejo. Malaga also missed a glorious chance in the first half when Manuel Iturra robbed Casemiro off the ball and was straight on goal. But Keylor Navas was up to the task and made a fine save.
#3 Malaga are down and out
The Andalusian side lies at the bottom of the table and are currently 14 points away from safety. Malaga possess roughly 1% chance of survival at this moment where they have to depend highly on the other results and also have to win all six of their remaining matches.
Against a weakened Real Madrid side, Malaga should have gone for the jugular and tried to make matters difficult for the reigning champions. But coach Jose Gonzales opted a conservative approach which was not going to help them keep Real Madrid away from scoring for long.
The second half was marginally better from the home side. An intent was seen in their passing which finally resulted in a consolation goal right at the death. Though survival seems too much to ask for at this stage, Malaga should play their remaining games with pride and give their loyal supporters some joy in what has been a disastrous campaign.
#2 Karim Benzema's form remains a worry
When your club's preferred striker has scored just five league goals all season, there are bound to be questions raised about his form and selection. Karim Benzema has struggled in front of goal all campaign which was again evident against Malaga.
Zidane would have decided to start with Benzema in this game in order to unleash him against a weak Malaga defence that had conceded 48 goals before this match. But Benzema could not add a goal to his name as he missed one clear-cut chance when he could not guide a free header on target and also missed a host of half chances.
Though his link-up play was brilliant on the night, his goalscoring woes must be giving sleepless nights to Zinedine Zidane. Both Benzema and Bale are not in the best of forms leading up to the Bayern Munich clash which makes Zinedine Zidane's decision to pick one out of these two the toughest that he has had to make in his managerial career.
#1 Isco shines the brightest
On his return to Malaga, Isco continued his stunning form off late and was the match winner for Real Madrid. He scored the first goal courtesy of a curling freekick on the 29th minute. Isco did not celebrate the goal because of his close association with the club which proved to be a great gesture from the playmaker.
Isco is still adored by the public at La Rosaleda and his non-celebration will further help him in being in the good books of the Malaga folks. In the second half, Isco then selflessly provided a goal on a platter for Casemiro to double Madrid's lead on the night.
The 25-year-old has been Real Madrid's most influential player in the past two weeks or so. Isco has staggeringly completed 100% of his passes in two of his last four matches. Against Malaga, he was again at his creating best, completing 88% of his passes which included 3 key passes.
A month ago, Isco's place in this Real Madrid side was under serious doubt. But his displays in the Champions League and in La Liga in the past month have not only cemented his place in the starting lineup but have also ended all speculations over his Real Madrid future. He ain't going anywhere!
