Real Madrid-Athletic Raúl García bursts Madrid

Was Raúl García's dream, Lucas Vázquez's nightmare, another day (lost) at Hazard's office and a new Classic that Rubiales escapes, that he reinvented the Super Cup to look for it and that, for the second consecutive year, he did not find it. This is how Madrid said goodbye to its first title and This is how Marcelino showed that he is an instant coach. Athletic came out brave and lived off the income afterwards. In Madrid only Asensio did to be in the final.

There have been no surprises in the Madrid line-ups for a long time. Nor in those of Athletic, despite the change of coach. The question is to determine if that speaks well of those who play (a lot) or badly of those who wait (too much), although the suspicion is that the benches are emaciated. This wednesday a Madrid without a goal licensed an alleged scorer who cost 60 million to save two of his file, an unequivocal sign that nothing could be expected from there in the short term. You could talk about a bad deal if it weren't that keeping it would have been an even worse business.

So those of (almost) always came out on both shores, with a prior suspense about Ramos, who noticed some discomfort in the warm-up and evacuated consultations with the doctor before saying yes, and with Dani García for Vesga in Athletic.

Hazard, playmaker

In the absence of news in the eleven, Zidane contributed them in the drawing: an asymmetrical 4-4-2 with Modric moderately on the right plus the support of Lucas Vázquez, Asensio on the left (in Pamplona he got indigestible with the change of band) and Hazard on the playmaker. A twist to see if the Belgian finds his place in life. A stroke of the rudder to energize the attack of a very short definition team. An attempt to give Benzema a partner who handles, like him, the language of inspiration more than that of self-denial. Not for those.

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It remained, yes, a Madrid more in keeping with its history. He has been playing backwards for months, saving a lot back because he does not hit with his attack. This time he returned to the times of Casillas on the ground and Cristiano on the skies, hitting and receiving. Although in reverse order. After two attempts by Hazard, as unsuccessful as his signing is being, He swallowed a goal out of recklessness: Lucas Vázquez missed the start and the Garcia made him pay. Dani stole, Raúl decided. Marcelino's law. The dream of the former Atlético, never pleasant in Madrid. A poorly protected area was sought, between Casemiro and the centrals, and gave the Zidane team the night.

Lucas Vázquez's penalty

The goal further cleaned up the game, already as fun as yesterday. A shot from Asensio, another from Muniain, a cross without a shot from Lucas. The pim, bang, bang. By then Madrid had returned, without explanation or success, to 4-3-3, with Asensio on the right, and Athletic kept the script. Until Lucas got the forward he has inside in the wrong area. He was overtaken by Íñigo Martínez behind him and he knocked him down without scruples. Penalty from the winger, not from the side, and a double from Raúl García. The hero of the last month reduced to ashes and Madrid definitely decomposed.

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The situation called for a jolt from the bench, but Zidane does not believe unit B. Not even Vinicius, that disorderly transgressor who so many times got him out of trouble. So the same ones came out except Varane, touched by a stomp, plus Nacho. The 50 million Militao are still in the safe. But with them, another Madrid appeared, careless, but with the push that a limit situation demanded. In fact, the first noticeable event of the restart was a frank header from Munain that brushed the post. Yes, Marco Asensio touched it twice, in brutal shots, from near and far. Two zapatazos on the march that deserved a better outcome and were able to put Madrid into the match with still usable room for maneuver. The Spaniard was well above the team average.

Mariano more Ramos

The second generation, which is stuck, arrived too late: Vinicius and Valverde, the most promising of that renewal operation that has not just started. Marcelino also refreshed the equipment without changing the drawing. All his substitutions were piece by piece to vitaminize Athletic before the presumable downpour from Madrid.

And the downpour came. A quarter of an hour from the end Benzema scored, a goal canceled by the line and validated by the VAR. All millimeter. And almost immediately the second of the French. The line also raised the flag, this time with success. It was Benzema's third goal annulled for offside in two games. That imperfection remains from the dark times.

The end was a failed onslaught of Madrid, who tried by force what he failed to achieve by skill, with Mariano and Ramos sticking their heads in that bombardment. That was always the Athletic remedy. For Madrid, which is about something else, it did not work and the fight for a short-distance title, Zidane's specialty, went away.