Real Madrid vs Club Brugge: 3 reasons why the game ended in a draw | Champions League 2019/20

For the second consecutive Champions League fixture, Real Madrid dropped points, as they were forced to share the spoils, this time with Club Brugge at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Los Merengues battled long and hard restore parity, as two first-half goals from Brugge's Emmanuel Bonaventure threatened to make it a second loss in two UCL games for Zinedine Zidane's men.

In the 9th minute, Brugge scored a somewhat bizarre goal, as Bonaventure latched onto Percy Tau's low cross, badly controls the ball, and wrong-foots Thibaut Courtois in the process to put the Belgian team ahead.

Before halftime, Bonaventure scored his second as Luka Modric uncharacteristically lost the ball to the Nigerian who bolted towards the Los Blancos box before lobbing the ball over the onrushing Courtois for Brugge's second of the game.

However, Los Blancos valiantly fought back, as club captain Sergio Ramos headed home a Karim Benzema cross at the far post to begin the comeback in the second half.

In the 84th minute, Brugge's captain Ruud Vormer conceded a freekick in a dangerous position, and Casemiro headed home from Toni Kroos' excellently executed freekick, saving the blushes of Zinedine Zidane's men.

With the draw, Los Blancos recorded their worst ever start to a Champions League campaign. In this article, we try to make sense of the stalemate at the Santiago Bernabeu.

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#3 An off day for Thibaut Courtois

Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois

The Belgian international was off-colour today, as he fluffed his lines on not one but two occasions.

Early on in the game, the Madrid rearguard was caught napping, as a pass from Club Brugge's Percy Tau found Emmanuel Bonaventure in the box. However, Bonaventure controlled the ball poorly, and Thibaut Courtois was completely wrong-footed as he helplessly watched the ball roll past him and into the net.

In the 39th minute, Bonaventure struck again, lobbing the ball over the onrushing Belgian and into the goal. On both occasions, the Belgian's decision making was poor, as he went to ground too easily for the first, and he came out too early for the second.

#2 Emmanuel Bonaventure's Midas touch

Emmanuel Bonaventure lobs Thibaut Courtois for his brace

The 21-year-old Emmanuel Bonaventure was on fire against Los Blancos, as anything he touched seemed to turn to gold. For his first goal, he poorly controlled the ball, but that was enough to get Thibaut Courtois sprawled on the ground helplessly.

For his second, he dispossessed Luka Modric, ran towards Madrid's goal, and almost stumbled, but he was able to beat Courtois once again, as he lobbed the ball expertly over the big Belgian for his second.

The Nigerian had a total of three shots in the game and all were on target.

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#1 The resilence of Real Madrid

Real Madrid's skipper, Sergio Ramos

Conceding those two goals in the first half undoubtedly rattled Los Blancos, as thoughts of the disastrous night in Paris during matchday 1 must have come flooding in.

However, Zinedine Zidane and his men held their heads high, as Los Merengues kept chipping away, searching for an opening, and in the 55th minute, Sergio Ramos gave his men a glimmer of hope by heading home a Karim Benzema cross.

Madrid kept piling on the pressure, and Club Brugge succumbed finally, with their captain Ruud Vormer conceding a freekick and getting sent off late in the game. Los Blancos' midfield enforcer, Casemiro, rose above the Brugge rearguard to power home the ball into the back of the net, rescuing Madrid from what would have been an embarrassing home defeat.