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The defending champions have started their campaign in style, with the spectacular 3-0 win over last year's semi-finalists, The Whites have made the Bernabeu very proud.
This season has seen the dynamics of the team change with Lopetegui in charge. We have seen Ramos in the role of penalty taker in the last few games, Isco is taking the free kicks, Bale and Benzema have taken the role of goal scorers, and Asensio has been just brilliant and is on his way to becoming a phenomenon. Los Blancos have started their campaign with a brilliant win, and here are a few talking points from the match.
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#4 Real Madrid's defense
Thibaut Courtois might be the expensive choice, but Keylor Navas is as valuable as ever. Lopetegui played Navas for this extremely crucial match, and the Costa Rican did not disappoint. Two of his saves in particular showed what he is capable of.
Marcelo played his attacking best in this game. The Brazilian is without a doubt Real's best fullback. And every match he makes himself more valuable to the team. His and Ronaldo's pairing was one of the best things for the team in years prior. With Ronaldo gone, Los Blancos are still in search of more duos like that.
He kept on attacking from the left wing and kept making opportunities for more goals. Finally, he helped Real's new signing Mariano Diaz score his first goal of the season.
#3 Midfield Shenanigans
While strikers are the show-stealers, midfielders are the masterminds. The trio of Casemiro, Toni Kroos, and this year's best midfielder, Luka Modric played the game of their lives.
They dominated the game and did not give any chance to Roma, nor did they allow them break into the defense. The second goal of the match was assisted by Modric.
#2 Bale and Isco - the shining future
While the Welshman has been one of the most trusted players at the Bernabeu, he is currently on the verge of filling the void left by Ronaldo. One of the fastest strikers in the world of football, he is extremely athletic on the field.
His attacks started from the minute the match started. He even had a close call in the 3rd minute which failed. But he kept on trying and finally scored in the 58th minute. He and Karim Benzema have divided the responsibility of scoring for the team and currently have 11 goals between them in the last 7 games.
The other show stealer for the team was the Spaniard Isco who scored the first goal. A beautiful free kick from 25 yards in the 45th minute sealed the deal for Madrid. Touted as the creative genius, he is often under fire for not performing at par for Real Madrid as he does for his national team. The free-kicks which were Ronaldo’s forte, yesterday was Isco’s, and he did not disappoint.
#1 Jersey number 7 - a new beginning
The biggest talking point of the entire match was whether Lopetegui will give Mariano his season debut for Real in the Champions League as people are anticipating some magic from the jersey holder.
And he stood on the expectations. He cashed on the pass from Marcelo and scored in the top corner. His 20-minute cameo in the game managed to impress not only his coach but also a previous owner of this jersey, and Real Madrid legend - Raul. In a way he honoured the jersey and it will be interesting to see him in the upcoming games.
