The new Champions also offers nights in which even this doubtful and intermittent Real Madrid just needs to let go to overwhelm the rival. Against Salzburg he cleared up the small unknown of the classification: he will be at least in the uncomfortable extra round of 32. They beat a very tender team almost at once, and wasted the opportunity to increase the goal balance, which will end up defining the final positions and the composition of the crosses.
5
Thibaut Courtois, Federico Valverde, Raúl Asencio, Antonio Rüdiger (Jacobo Ramón, min. 77), Ferland Mendy, Jude Bellingham (David Alaba, min. 63), Luka Modric, Dani Ceballos (Arda Güler, min. 63), Kylian Mbappé (Endrick, min. 71), Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo (Brahim Díaz, min. 71)
1
Janis Blaswich, Samson Baidoo, Hendry Blank, Aleksa Terzic, Amar Dedic, Oscar Gloukh (Lucas Gourna-Douath, min. 81), Moussa Yeo (Mamady Diambou, min. 62), Nicolás Capaldo (Takumu Kawamura, min. 81), Mads Bidstrup, Dorgeles Nene (Kamil Piatkowski, min. 62) and Adam Daghim (Petar Ratkov, min. 87)
Goals
1-0 min. 22: Rodrygo. 2-0 min. 33: Rodrygo. 3-0 min. 47: Kylian Mbappe. 4-0 min. 54: Vinicius Junior. 5-0 min. 76: Vinicius Junior. 5-1 min. 84: Mads Bidstrup
Referee Glenn Nyberg
yellow cards
Vinicius Junior (min. 41)
At least he had his first completely placid performance of the course, resolved with sparks of pure talent. Perhaps because of tiredness, laziness, or boredom, or the certain impression of superiority; or maybe for a little bit of everything, he went out to play walking, between calm, carelessness and the certainty that that was enough. For what else? He received the collection of multicultural and very young talent from Salzburg. The Austrian team is the first hotbed of the Red Bull group’s production chain of footballers, at whose top Jürgen Klopp has just debuted. And he is not going through his most comfortable moment, fifth in Austria, without competing for a month on the local calendar. They are also one of the most fragile teams in this league, in which they had conceded an average of three goals per game. So Real, still immersed in his existential questions, went out to contemplate.
In that lax regime, Salzburg played with a certain intention, putting together passes on the side that Valverde defended due to Lucas’s sanction. The Austrians, who had Thomas Letsch on the bench for the first time, did their first tastes of the ball, explored Courtois’s area and tried a couple of shots. One of Gloukh’s counter-attacks missed almost the post. The Israeli took advantage of those first minutes of local lethargy to weave with Bidstrup, Terzic and Daghim. But Real’s heart rate didn’t even rise. As announced on the night, Ancelotti had not even come out with a midfielder who could sweep the area. He left Tchouameni on the bench and Ceballos and Modric seemed enough. And if.
Because of so much backtracking, it caused a large estate to open on the other side. Mbappé attempted a run, threw Vinicius, and the Brazilian crossed a pass from left to right, into the entry of Bellingham and Rodrygo, who sent it into the net. Minutes of apathetic silence, a flash and a goal. They didn’t need more. Or yes: maybe more goals on a favorable night.
Salzburg gradually faded away after the brief initial exploration. Madrid’s increased revs were not the cause but rather an almost inevitable consequence. Bellingham hardly understands truces and was beginning to exhibit stride and deception. It is a permanent amazement. His push somewhat agitated those above. He threw a backheel wall at Rodrygo, and the Brazilian hit the second from the left.
Madrid’s slight increases in revs revealed more and more of Salzburg’s limitations, with very tender moments, even from their goalkeeper, the oldest, at 33 years old. Mbappé pressed him, stole from him and scored the third.
Vinicius spent much of the night lost in his own wilderness, reprimanded even when the referee understood that he had faked a penalty. Some timid whistles appeared after a bad pass, but he immediately linked two dribbles, stepped into the area and scored. Against Salzburg, the goals were not fruit to climb, it was enough to pick them up. A good night to continue giving David Alaba minutes, this time almost half an hour against his compatriots. The context was safe, even too safe to be able to verify the point of his recovery.
The final stretch also served to remind us of Endrick’s voracity, who takes advantage of any gap to shoot. And to see Asencio at right back for a while, even stepping into the area. And to Jacobo Ramón, who seemed destined for the place that the Canary Islands center has acquired. And also for Vinicius to score the fifth – his 100th goal in the Madrid shirt – after an exuberant career by Valverde, already as a midfielder. Even so that Bidstrup, already in the final drop in tension, cut Madrid’s goal balance with a volley. The blur of a placid night in which he could have accumulated more margin for the final day on Wednesday.
