Perhaps their best performance in a UEFA Champions League game for quite a long time, Real Madrid were very active in their game against Inter Milan Wednesday.
Goals from Eden Hazard and Rodrygo Goes ensured that the Los Blancos just remain in close chase for the top spot in the group.
Despite being without Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema, Zinedine Zidane’s squad fought with everything to secure all three points.
Here is a breakdown of what we observed in the win over Antonio Conte’s men:
Nacho’s experience
The Spaniard was brought into the starting lineup as a replacement for the injured Ramos and Nacho filled the void very expertly. His experience proved vital for the team, limiting the effectiveness of both Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku.
Triangular midfield
Once again, Zidane opted for a midfield trio Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Martin Ødegaard – giving the team a good chance to dominate the game from the middle of the park. The away side ended the game with majority of the possession while also creating the most chances.
Timing of substitution
Zidane decided to make his first two substitutions of the game in the 59th minute, a time where Inter were seeing majority of the ball. The introduction of Casemiro and Rodrygo ensured that Madrid regained control of the game with the latter scoring with his first touch of the ball.
Hazard’s form
Hazard is gradually picking his form in a Madrid shirt and it is only a matter of time until he becomes consistent. With no international break expected until March next year, the Belgium international has enough time to turn up his side in the absence of any injury setback.
