The song of the summer played softly in the Bernabéu. If I had met you beforeby Karol G, did not thunder, for a change. A week after Madrid announced that it would interrupt the programme of concerts at the stadium until March after complaints from neighbours about noise disturbances, the club also lowered the volume several notches for this Saturday’s match. Except for celebrating the relief goals after Courtois’ surprising blunder in the 0-1, the public address system was far from thundering as it happens in any venue of these characteristics every weekend. Even the announcement of some substitutions and the extra time were barely audible. The inhabitants of the Bernabéu district have not focused their complaints and claims on the disturbances caused by football matches, to which they are already accustomed, but the club extended its protection measure for the match against Espanyol. At such low revolutions, nobody in the amphitheater danced during the break to the hit from the Colombian. The 0-0 at that moment did not help either.
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Thibaut Courtois, Fran García, Dani Carvajal (Lucas Vázquez, min. 58), Éder Militão, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Jude Bellingham (Antonio Rüdiger, min. 83), Luka Modric, Federico Valverde, Rodrygo (Endrick, min. 83), Arda Güler (Vinícius Júnior, min. 54) and Kylian Mbappé
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The team from the same name is Joan Garcia, Leandro Cabrera, Omar El Hilali, Carlos Romero, Alvaro Tejero (Alvaro Aguado, min. 75), Marash Kumbulla, Jofre Carreras (Irvin Cardona, min. 75), Alex Kral, Pol Lozano (Jose Gragera, min. 66), Walid Cheddira (Alejo Veliz, min. 45) and Javi Puado (Pere Milla, min. 80)
Goals
0-1 min. 53: Courtois. 1-1 min. 57: Dani Carvajal. 2-1 min. 74: Rodrygo. 3-1 min. 77: Vinicius Junior. 4-1 min. 89: Kylian Mbappe
Referee Jose Luis Munuera Montero
Yellow cards
Pol Lozano (min. 9), Kylian Mbappe (min. 31), Federico Valverde (min. 60), Joan Garcia (min. 73), Jude Bellingham (min. 80), Vinicius Junior (min. 81), Carlos Romero (min. 87)
Of the 18 goals Madrid have scored this season, 17 have come in the second half. Once again, for the sixth game in a row, the Whites finished the first half scoreless. This time it wasn’t for lack of trying: their 14 shots were the highest number of goals scored at home in La Liga since the August afternoon in 2019 against Valladolid. “It’s a fact that draws attention,” admitted Carlo Ancelotti without anyone asking him. “I spoke to the players beforehand to see if they could change the dynamic. It hasn’t changed, but the first half was more intense,” admitted the relieved Italian, who praised his team’s performance.
“We are slowly returning to our best form,” said Carletto. “It was a good match, from the start, complete. We played much better, with more rhythm and opportunities. We played with more speed and better movements,” said the local coach. Pressed by the press gallery, who reminded him of his words before the match, in which he said that the Chamartín public liked, above all, guitar strumming, at the end, amidst obvious signs of exhaustion, he admitted: “Yes, it was a rock and roll match,” he concluded.
The three up front scored, Rodrygo, Vinicius and Mbappé (from the penalty spot), and Endrick was once again as productive as ever. The young Brazilian still needs a few minutes to make his mark in matches. Against Espanyol, with a penalty forced by persistence. But the one who pushed hardest to keep the night going was Vini, who for the first time in his 272 games with Madrid assisted (2-1) and scored (3-1) coming off the bench. The striker, on hold at the start of the evening, left his left wing to Rodrygo and Mbappé continued to occupy the centre of the attack. The Frenchman, respectful until now of the status acquired in the dressing room, continued in his usual zone, barely appearing on the left flank.
The only cause for concern, apart from the forced comeback, was the physical problems with Carvajal and Bellingham. The full-back left the pitch as soon as he scored the equaliser. “He’s hurt, with a knock. Nothing particularly serious,” said Ancelotti. And the Englishman was again hurt in his left shoulder, the same one he had problems with all last season and which led him to wear a brace all last season. Against Espanyol, in the seventh minute, he went down to clear a ball and ended up with pain in the same area, although he returned soon after and played almost the entire game. “We’ll see how he reacts tomorrow. It doesn’t seem worrying at all,” said the Italian.
