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#3 Shakhtar deserved to take the three points from the game
Shakhtar Donetsk were unsurprisingly the underdogs heading into the fixture against Real Madrid. The fact that they were missing 10 first-team players due to COVID-19 meant they had to field a squad in which as many as eight players were under 23 years of age. The youngsters held onto their nerves though, and produced a memorable first-half performance that proved enough to win them the game.
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20-year-old Tete had a role in all three goals for the visitors, as he scored the opener, hit the shot that led to Varane's own goal on a rebound and laid the assist for Manor Solomon's 42nd-minute goal. They had a spring in their step after the first goal and rode that momentum to go three goals ahead before the break.
The team was also solid at the back and managed to keep Real Madrid players in check for the first 45 minutes. Overall they showed a lot of heart in the game and as a result, were rewarded with a famous win over the 13-time Champions League winners.
#2 Luka Jovic does not deserve a place in the Real Madrid team
Although it is unfair to blame an individual player in a team sport like football, sometimes that individual does more harm than good and needs to be singled out for his shortcomings. For Real Madrid, that player seems to be Serbian forward Luka Jovic.
Jovic has been with Real Madrid for more than a year now and is yet to settle properly at the club. He is never in sync with his attacking partners and even when opportunities are created for him the box, he is too slow to react. He had as many touches as goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in Wednesday's defeat.
He had a golden opportunity to pull Madrid level just a couple of minutes after Tete's goal. Marcelo found him unmarked in the box with a peach of a cross, only for him to mistime the header.
Vinicius Junior scored just 15 seconds after replacing the striker and provided a much-needed spark in the final third.
#1 Zidane needs to work on his defence ahead of El Clasico
Tonight we witnessed one of the rarest scorelines ever recorded against Real Madrid in the Zidane era. The hosts went three goals behind in the first half, after they allowed Shakhtar to have four shots, all on target.
The ease in which Shakhtar were able to exploit space behind the defenders was very concerning. Zidane's men seemed particularly vulnerable to long balls.
In absence of their captain Sergio Ramos, they seemed to lack a leader to organise their backline. It was clear that the chemistry between Varane and Militao is just not that developed yet.
Marcelo was punished by a much faster and agile Tete on the flanks, while Mendy looked helpless having been forced to play on the right flank. The players only came into action after going behind, as Militao and Marcelo put in a great second half shift to neutralise Shakhtar's threat.
A possible shift to a three-man defence with Mendy as the wing-back on the left and Nacho or Fede Valverde on the right could be one of the solutions for Zidane to bolster his defence in the coming fixtures.
Also See: Twitter explodes as Real Madrid lose 2-3 to Shakhtar Donetsk in dramatic encounter
