Real Madrid rallied to secure a commendable away win at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon following Karim Benzema’s winning goal off the bench in the 87th minute of the match. The visitors were not in the best of form, handing a lifeline to the 10-man home side with a penalty converted by Adrien Silva in the 80th minute.
Zinedine Zidane refused to let the grass grow under his feet, ordering Real to step up the pace and make their man advantage count against the tiring Sporting players. Real then did what the best teams do – find a solution to an existing problem quickly.
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The result leaves Real second in their group following the record-breaking 8-4 win secured by Borussia Dortmund. The two teams meet each other in the final group game of the season with the group toppers’ credits at stake. Here are 5 major talking points from the game:
#1 Penalty Incident
Fabio Coentrao was afforded a rare Champions League appearance yesterday following Zidane’s decision to take Marcelo off. It did not turn out to be great for the ex-Benfica player, who was subjected to a round of boos by the crowd during his entrance because of his history with Sporting’s city rivals.
Less than 10 minutes after being on the pitch, Coentrao stuck his hand out on an innocuous pass inside the area, and the Scottish referee Willie Collum rightly pointed to the spot for the indiscretion which took place in the 79th minute of the game.
Adrien Silva sent Keylor Navas the wrong way to give Sporting a fighting chance in the closing stages of the game.
#2 Joao Perreira’s moment of madness
Joao Perreira, a seasoned Portugal international, got himself needlessly sent off in the 64th minute of the game. The right-back entered into an off-the-ball clash with Mateo Kovacic, who had fouled Joel Campbell in the preceding play.
Perreira hit out at Kovacic’s midsection despite the attentions of the linesman, who was standing at hand to try and calm the situation down after a heated exchange between the Serb and the Portuguese. Kovacic collapsed in a heap following the blow, and Willie Collum deemed it to be dangerous play from Perreira and handed him a straight red card, much to the displeasure of the home fans and the disbelief of Sporting Manager Jorge Jesus.
Sporting were on the upturn at that point in the game, trying to use their substitutes’ energy to muster a way back into the game. The petulance of their right-back cost them dearly, as Real were able to exercise even more control over the proceedings after that point in the game.
#3 The slow nature of the game
Real fielded virtually the same starting XI which began the game against Atletico in the Madrid derby on Saturday with the exception of captain Sergio Ramos, who made a return to the first XI at the expense of Nacho Fernandez. They were supposed to be in good form, but Sporting had other ideas.
Playing in front of a capacity crowd at the Estadio da Luz, Sporting were buoyed by the atmosphere and contested nearly every ball in the first half with the passion and vigour of a well-motivated side. Their organisation made it difficult for Real to play through the middle, and Sporting were able to wrest possession in a number of one-on-one situations throughout the course of the game.
Real were unable to force the initiative and had only 2 shots on target in the entire game – both of which were converted. Sporting were not able to create many openings themselves, but their perseverance at both ends of the pitch made Real’s life really difficult, and they have to be commended for making it a thoroughly engrossing contest.
#4 Karim Benzema’s eventful intervention
In the first group stage encounter between the two sides, Sporting achieved the impressive, enviable feat of taking the lead at the Bernabeu, before a late fightback from Real involving Ronaldo and Morata gave them a late, well-needed winner.
While Real did have the initial lead here, it required another inspired substitution from Zidane to set the scoreline right for the visitors. Benzema’s introduction in Isco’s place put a lot of pressure on the Sporting backline, as both Ronaldo and Benzema made incisive, threatening runs against the tiring defence.
Benzema’s Champions League pedigree, which has seen him retain his place in the Real side over the years, shone through on the night. The Frenchman connected with an inviting cross from Sergio Ramos, getting ahead of his marker and former Liverpool centre-back Seb Coates. He gave Rui Patricio in goal little to no chance of saving the shot.
#5 Injury to Bale
Gareth Bale and Marcelo, Real’s two bonafide stars out on the wings this season, both suffered from injury niggles in the game yesterday. While Marcelo was able to play on for a while despite hurting his left knee in an unpleasant landing, Bale had to go off the pitch after injuring his right ankle in a coming-together with Coates early in the second half.
Marco Asensio, who replaced him on the left wing, is still learning the tricks of the Champions League trade at the age of 20, and his third appearance in the competition was a relatively quiet one.
Bale’s injury is of real concern to the Real Madrid squad, which is still reeling from the effects of the high-intensity, non-stop football being played by most players in the squad who had to represent their countries in the international break.
While there is no immediate post-match news, the manner of Bale’s injury signals that his participation in the El Clasico in 2 weeks’ time is in doubt.
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