Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Antoine Griezmann ended this Madrid Derby in a new stalemate that doesn’t really help either side here. This thrilling game at Santiago Bernabeu left us a lot of things to analyse, so here are three things we learned from Sunday’s Liga derby.
Cristiano Ronaldo remains unstoppable
Can anyone stop Cristiano Ronaldo? The Portuguese marksman was under heavy scrutiny due to his poor form earlier this season, but it seems those problems are a thing of the past now. CR7 is back for good, better than ever, and ready to take the world by storm. Again.
Ronaldo scored Real’s lone goal in this match. He also netted a double earlier this week against Juventus in the UEFA Champions League. He has 15 goals in his past eight matches across all competitions, and that tally would be higher had we included his preferences of late with the Portugal National Team.
CR7 might not be in the best moment of his career. But he is clearly playing better in comparison to the team´s first few weeks. He also looks stronger than before. And that could also mean one thing for Los Merengues: they have their star player ready to unleash his fury.
Keylor Navas and Jan Oblak proved why they need to be among the best in the world
When experts and pundits talk about world-class goalkeepers, we always hear the same names each and every time. David de Gea, Manuel Neuer, Thibaut Courtois, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, etc… but two names that absolutely need to be included in this list from now on are Real Madrid’s Keylor Navas, and Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak.
Navas registered four saves in this game and barring the sequence where Antoine Griezmann scored, he looked composed between the posts. The Costa Rica international remains a capable performer even if his name constantly surfaces in potential transfer rumours. Meanwhile, Oblak had seven saves and he came up big on stoppage time when he denied Sergio Ramos on what would have been the winning goal for Los Merengues. The Zamora Trophy frontrunner once again showed why some of the biggest teams in Europe want to sign him this next summer.
It was clear the focus was on their upcoming European ties
Make no mistake here. The game was intense, and it was clear both sides fought to get the three points from start to finish. But at the same time, managers and players knew they still have a lot ot play for in the final weeks of the campaign. That is why players like Isco, Luca Modric and Diego Costa were taken off during the second half.
But could anyone blame them, though? Real Madrid are 90 minutes away from reaching the Champions League’s semifinals on route to their fourth consecutive title, while Atletico Madrid must travel to Portugal to take on Sporting CP after winning 2-0 in the first leg at the Wanda Metropolitano. Knowing the title race is all but over, it clearly makes sense to focus on what’s really important: getting at least one piece of silverware at the end of the campaign.
Match Report
Real Madrid: Navas (7); Dani Carvajal (7), Varane (7), Sergio Ramos (5), Marcelo (7); Vazquez (6), Kovacic (7) (Modric (6), 72’), Kroos (7), Asensio (5) (Isco (-), 72’)); Bale (8), Ronaldo (7) (Benzema (5), 65’)
Subs not used: Kiko Casilla (GK), Theo, Casemiro, Llorente
Atlético de Madrid: Oblak (8); Juanfran (6), Savic (7), Godin (6), Lucas (5); Vitolo (5) (Correa (6), 61’), Saul (5), Thomas (6) (Gameiro (-), 82’), Koke (6); Diego Costa (5) (Gabi (5), 71’), Griezmann (7)
Subs not used: Werner (GK), Montoro, Vrsaljko, Torres
Goals: Ronaldo (1-0, 53’), Griezmann (1-1, 57’)
Referee: Javier Estrada Fernandez
Yellow cards: Kroos, Vazquez (MAD); Vitolo, Thomas, Lucas (ATM)
Red cards: None
Attendance: 78,769
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