In the end, there were no clear winners despite the scoreline indicating 4-3 in favour of Manchester City in the first leg of the Champion’s League (CL) Semi-Final against Real Madrid. The adrenaline-pumping encounter was an ideal advertisement for a knockout where even the eventual losers Real made twin comebacks from a two-goal deficit in the match to narrow the defeat in a seven-goal thriller. Both the teams can head into the second leg of the Semi-Finals early next month with heads almost firmly on their shoulders. However, there was a perceptible gap between the performances of certain players in Real Madrid with some putting their best feet forward and some struggling to stay afloat. Hence, let us find out the Real members who owned the game and who failed to create any impact, whatsoever.
First, The Good Ones:
Vinicius Junior
It might have been the day of talismanic Karim Benzema, but it would be a crime to forget the contributions of Vinicius Junior in the match. The 21-year-old Brazilian was nicely set up by the Guardiola’s men but the nimble-footed youngster breezed through each hurdle all along while finding the net once. The goal had brilliance written all over it and was unarguably one of the best this season as Vinicius breached every City fortress to eventually take the ball to its ultimate destination. What a jaw-dropping spectacle it turned out to be!
Karim Benzema
Cometh the hour, cometh the man, a cliché phrase but it aptly conveys French star striker Karim Benzema’s abilities. If ever the Real needed his magic then this was it and he rose to the occasion like a superhero straight out of the universe of Marvel. Interestingly, Benzema scored for the first time when the Real was trailing 2-0 in the dying moments of the first half to cut the deficit to one goal. Then the Frenchmen scored in the 82nd minute through a penalty to yet again narrow down the gap from 3-1 to 3-2. The man, who netted 7 times in his previous three CL matches, once again proved he could easily change the complexion of the games, irrespective of the situation.
Then, The Disappointments:
David Alaba
Well, it could still be debated whether it was right on the part of Real Madrid to hastily include a not-so-fit David Alaba in a crucial tie but the Austrian failed to make his presence felt in the game. While he gets total marks for his dedication but his generosity towards City dissipated all the goodwill he generated over his devotion towards the Real. In the 11th minute of the game, Alaba, literally, gifted another goal to the City, a low cross from Kevin De Bruyne which could have been easily kicked away by the Austrian. One can only hope that this was a minor blip on the radar of Alaba.
Toni Kroos
The erstwhile Bayern Munich player has been a ubiquitous aspect in the midfield of Real Madrid since 2014. Toni Kroos had also played important parts in Real’s triple bonanza of CL titles from 2015-18. However, off late, it seems he has lost his old mojo as he has been found wanting on certain occasions. The script did not change at all for him even yesterday as he could only execute a pass properly once and also lost possession seven times. Finally, Carlo Ancelotti ended his ordeal by replacing him with Dany Ceballos in the 71st minute of the second half.
