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Asahara: He’s the egg white on the meringue offense.
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Photo: Bernat Armangue / TT NEWS AGENCY
Karim Benzema (center) again took a step forward for Real Madrid.
FOOTBALL
Real Madrid offered Atalanta the opportunity.
Atalanta invited Real Madrid to the match.
The Spanish giant passed the test and took his quarter-final ticket.
But how much have they really impressed?
After an early red card led to a match plan in the trash and minimization of the risk of the remaining match, the first round of 16 turned into an event in which Atalanta mostly did not have a ball.
Tuesday in Madrid was quite the opposite at first.
Atalanta had the ball, passed the ball and recovered the ball. At the same time, a Real Madrid formed by 5–3-2 and without Casemiro seemed to act on the basis of some form of hospitality related to possession of the ball, without perfect solutions for the Atalanta press game.
This double encounter was alive despite that 0-1 in Bergamo.
It felt that way. It looked like this. It was in the air. A little anyway.
Until Marco Sportiello returned the offer, of course.
“Egg white in the meringue offensive”
In recent times, it has been the older Sportiello who had a slight advantage over the slightly younger Pierluigi Gollini in the battle for Atalanta’s first sword (should add an equalizer).
Perhaps with an emphasis on “has been”.
Even if a truly headless goalie pass is something that can happen to even the best of them, this particular pass from Sportiello was costly to say the least.
Luka Modric thanked and passed. Karim Benzema painted and celebrated.
As he usually does today.
Whether it looks like proof of a failed mission to replace all of Cristiano Ronaldo’s goals or something else, no one can say anything other than Karim Benzema here and now he is the egg white on the meringue offense.
Whether it’s when he puts himself at a disadvantage against Elche in the league game on his own or when he’s in the right place at the right time when an Atalanta goalkeeper has a brain fall, the French forward keeps getting sharper, more important. and most influential for each blank year.
Reminders
But we really already knew.
And the remaining match would also bring reminders of things we already knew about Real Madrid in 2020/2021 (although Luis Muriel’s delicious reduction free kick was a breath of fresh air in a rather tense second half).
As if Vinicius Junior’s offensive qualities remain mystical of the Bermuda triangle, when he alternates brilliant individual running actions with unsuccessful open goals (seeing both in one and the same action after just over 50 minutes of play).
When the youngsters, with a new technical action, ordered a penalty, the following reminder arrived: that team captain Sergio Ramos still appreciates scoring on penalties and that he continues to choreograph goals with Lucas Vázquez when given the opportunity.
And when Ramos was substituted shortly after, they reminded us both that he had just returned from injury and that Eder Militao is still there.
And did you replace Marco Asensio? He recalled that he actually has a pretty clinical left foot, after all, with his 3-1 goal at the end.
But the bottom line, and perhaps the most important reminder, is, after all, that Real Madrid is still quite a long way from being called a contender for the Champions League title as seen here and now.
More according to plan
Of course, they resolved it quite nicely despite 108 injuries, 50 of them to Eden Hazard, in the first match in Bergamo. Of course, the illusion for the League is still alive and there are qualities in the current squad to seriously threaten any team in the world whenever they want, well, whether they are aged and that much-needed generational change has not yet done so. been done.
But at the same time, elsewhere, Kevin De Bruyne thundered long cross shots, while his Manchester City calmly and methodically fit almost rudely comfortably into the quarterfinals. And tomorrow, defending champions Bayern Munich will do something similar in an almost unnecessary return to Lazio.
Speaking of two teams that are both further apart (yes, Bayern is already further in my head) and impressed along the way.
The Spanish giant may be further away as planned for them too, for the first time in the quarterfinals since they even won last 2018.
But how much have they really impressed?
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