Shaken, manhandled and suffocated by the more enterprising Gironese, Real Madrid did not see the light of day during the first 15 minutes of the game. Then, Casa Blanca saw the light thanks to the brilliant talent of Jude Bellingham and the cold efficiency of his scorers. Joselu for 1-0. Tchouaméni for 2-0. Two shots and two Madrid goals in the 21st minute. The Catalans never recovered. The pace dropped in the second half and Bellingham scored to make it 3-0. Synonymous with chaos.
At the start of the match, Girona’s domination was so great that we thought that the Madrid goalkeeper was going to have a hectic start to the evening. Far from any rest. After a good save, two opposing shots narrowly escaping the target and an attempt which ended up hitting the post after 15 minutes, the goalkeeper was able to breathe. His teammates scored twice in 5 minutes against the run of play. After this double blow, Girona took a hit behind the head. At the start of the second period, the Spanish goalkeeper made a very good save to contain the Catalans’ hopes.
He was not aligned in his favorite position, and yet… Aligned as a left back, the former Stade Rennais produced a great score. Faced with good pressing from Girona, the calm and serenity of the Frenchman proved valuable for Real Madrid. Beyond a disconcerting technical ease, Camavinga demonstrated all his versatility by holding his lane to perfection. However, he had good clients in front of him in the person of Yan Couto and Viktor Tsigankov, who came out at half-time. Proof of the effective work of Madrid number 12.
As usual, the German defender was very solid. However, he had a huge client in front of him in the giant Dovbyk. But the former Chelsea man has seen others during his career. This was clearly seen, because number 22 played his role to perfection by marking the Ukrainian perfectly and leaving his back to the game most of the time.
A rather discreet but effective match from the Real Madrid captain. The Spanish defender was content to apply himself to his defensive tasks and he carried them out well. The number 6 of Real Madrid was pragmatic like his team. Too bad his red at the end of the match ruins everything.
A good match from Dani Carvajal. The right back proved to be very valuable for ball coverage and depth management. Especially in the first half. The Spanish defender had a lot to do in this meeting because he would have to take on Savinho, the strong man at the start of the Girona season. He muzzled him perfectly.
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Finally a very good match from Aurélien Tchouaméni with Real Madrid. This evening, the former Monegasque found the net for the first time since playing for Madrid. With a beautiful smached and crossed header, the Frenchman gave the Merengue the 2-0 goal. Beyond his achievement, number 18 was very solid and was particularly effective in recovering the ball.
A good match for the Uruaguayan who responded perfectly to the pace and intensity proposed by the Gironese. It’s not surprising that the midfielder has plenty of chest and knows how to put this asset to good use when his team has the ball. His running volume also proved valuable in Madrid’s counterattacks.
Like his Uruguayan friend, Toni Kroos produced a beautiful score. The German midfielder was able to analyze the Girona game well to distill dangerous balls into the available spaces. His technical quality did not go unnoticed in this meeting.
What a match from Jude Bellingham! The England international was able to show all his class and his technical range during this meeting. Madrid’s first goal demonstrates this perfectly. With a marvelous outside foot, the number 5 of Real Madrid was able to bypass the entire Girona defense and serve Joselu to perfection for the 1-0 goal. The former Borussia Dortmund man was found several times between the lines and caused Girona a lot of pain by operating on the counterattack. His goal for the 3-0 illustrates this perfectly. A goal where he is at the beginning and at the conclusion of the action.
The Brazilian has not been the most high-profile player. to say the least. In this meeting, number 7 was below the level of performance of his teammates. The latter did not get into tune at all and appeared on numerous occasions in difficulty in the face of Girona’s possession. He tried a few arabesques. Without success. Proof that Real Madrid can be effective without him.
In the last match against Las Palmas, Joselu had to wait for his fifth big chance to find the net. This time the number 14 showed immense efficiency against Girona. The Spanish striker scored on his first attempt. Certainly his finish was not perfect but it was enough to complete Bellingham’s pass. His achievement against the run of play changed the face of this meeting and relieved the Merengue.
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