Real Madrid were held by rivals Atletico Madrid in a 0-0 draw in a very tactical Madrid Derby at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium on Saturday. Atletico went the closest with Joao Felix and Saul Niguez’s attempts in each half, while Karim Benzema nearly scored the winner with a powerful header midway through the second period. Despite the drab encounter, a point elevates Los Blancos to the top of La Liga while Atletico remains in third place.
Story of the Game
Both sides had rotated their lineups for the mid-week league games, meaning the big guns were all available for the derby. Felix nearly had a dream start to his derby debut after being sent through with a lobbed through-ball from deep, but his attempt from an acute angle went wide of the target.
Los Blancos dominated much of the early possession and created a decent chance in the 19th minute when Nacho Fernandez’s cross met Gareth Bale’s header but went over the goal. Felix received another scoring opportunity in the 38th minute after Thomas Partey’s brilliant one-two with Diego Costa slid in a clever pass for the Portuguese to strike a powerful attempt just wide.
Toni Kroos made Jan Oblak stretch himself to the limit two minutes later, when his thunderous attempt from long forced a strong dive from the Los Rojiblancos star. Kieran Trippier made some crucial challenges in the first half to keep Eden Hazard quiet.
But he received a golden opportunity to get something done in the 44th minute when a long-ball found him with acres of space on the right, but his whipped low cross was cleared. Both sides had chances float wide after the whistle. Bale had a big chance to open proceedings when Nacho’s whipped cross fell perfectly for him to curl one in the 57th, but he scuffed it over.
Saul also came close to breaking the deadlock in the 72nd minute, when Koke’s corner was flicked on by him in the near post only to sail narrowly over the target. Karim Benzema also got into the act three minutes later, when Nacho’s inviting cross met his powerful header to force another superb save from Oblak.
Real Madrid did try to steal a late winner but just couldn’t find a breakthrough. However, the point itself was enough to take them back into the top of La Liga.
Takeaways from the Game
Big-money debutants fail to impress
Heading into the first Madrid derby, the spotlight was firmly on Eden Hazard and Joao Felix heading into the game. However, both stars failed to assert themselves into the game and despite their knack for being game-changers with a sudden burst of pace or knack to wiggle through defences, they were kept down by both sturdy defences.
Felix did have a few shots at goal but was unable to move into prime central positions to cause real problems. Hazard also flaunted his sizzling movement, but couldn’t create anything big for Los Blancos. Both big-money signings were left frustrated by the rigidity of the game, providing nothing memorable in their derby debuts.
Atletico Madrid’s full-backs their best investments of the summer
Atletico Madrid saw both full-backs Kieran Trippier and Renan Lodi play their first derby against Real Madrid, but the occasion didn’t take a toll on their performances. Indeed, Trippier retained his agile nature against Hazard, keeping the Belgian quiet after being tormented by him relentlessly in England.
The right-back’s timely clearances, solid challenges as well as delivery from the right was mostly pitch-perfect, but unfortunately, he didn’t get an assist. Lodi also played a more defensive role dealing with Bale but kept the Welshman in check by not allowing him to cut back into promising positions. Trippier and Lodi were both signed for cut-prices, but their bright performances validated how good their acquisitions were.
Los Blancos have found back their defensive solidity
Real Madrid might not have been able to score the goals needed to win the match, but one thing they’ll be pleased about was their defensive work. They kept their third successive clean-sheet after struggling months to string together a few. Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane look colossal at the back again, with the latter in particular giving a dominant performance with strong headers, timely clearances and hard-hitting challenges.
They kept the dangerous duo of Felix and Diego Costa quiet while thwarting away whatever came at their way. Casemiro also discreetly helped by dropping deep and move into defensive positions to clear danger, while neither Dani Carvajal nor Nacho were ousted much. Los Blancos have found back their best defensive attributes and maintaining this organization will be key towards maintaining a title charge.
Stand-Out Players
Thomas Partey stole the show in midfield, running things for his side and being a thorn at Madrid’s side throughout. He maintained a 90% passing accuracy, but four dribbles, nine recoveries and three tackles just prove how industrious he was at forcing the issue, as well as being agile enough to regain possession on multiple occasions.
Jan Oblak also made a few superb save to preserve his side’s clean-sheet, while Gimenez did a number on Benzema throughout the game. Toni Kroos dictated his side’s tempo with an iron fist and even though was unable to create chances, his powerful attempts from long and clever movement caused trouble for Los Rojiblancos throughout.