An unexpected yet unsurprising encounter at the Estadio De Valencia between Levante and Real Madrid as two penalties, the latter being a controversial one gave Real Madrid the three points.
The preview of this game was clearly pointing towards an apparent high scoring encounter with Levante possessing the worst defence in the league but an effective and bright attack, coupled with the fact they are missing their major defender to injury. The Real Madrid team in great form of late but also bad defensively away from home, it was without doubt only the gods would stop the goals from going in much succession.
With two el Clasico clashes in three days coming up this week, Solari set out to test his favorite eleven against Levante and it is clear they won't survive the rage of a Messi inspired Barcelona team if they replicate this kind of display against Levante.
Sergio Ramos was the only absentee from Solari's best eleven as he collected his fifth yellow against Girona and missed out on suspension.
Nacho was instituted in place of Sergio, partnering Raphael Varane in central defence, Sergio Reguilon preferred over Marcelo at left back and Dani Carvajal at right-back.
Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric covered the three man midfield while Lucas Vasquez, Vinicius Junior both flanked Karim Benzema.
I, as a Real Madrid fan clearly underrated the Levante team, specifically in defence. They were very compact in defence, packed the flanks very well, pressed impressively and forced Real Madrid into making forceful decisions thereby losing the ball on several occasions. In attack, Roger Marti was a constant thorn for marker Nacho as he outsmarted the former Castilla captain on several occasions and even hit thsectionsin the 23 minute.
Levante had their fair chances of scoring but failed to capitalize and Real Madrid got the first goal of the match in the 43rd minute. A cross from a much quiet Modric from the right flank flew onto the arm of a Levante defender and VAR secured Real Madrid a penalty which Benzema converted to score his 20th goal of the season.
The match went into halftime with Levante the better team in all section of the pitch with very few Real Madrid players making a statement. Casemiro, Vinicius and Benzema were the only players whose work ethic helped keep the team alive and moving bar their misplaced passes.
The second half started pretty much like the first, Real Madrid bossing possession and pressing a bit better than in the first half but they kept losing the ball to a resilient Levante back line. A moment of switching off from Nacho enable Marti to reach a cross before him and place it beyond the outstretched arms of Courtois to level the scores and complete a torrid night for the Spaniard defender.
Real Madrid had the Girona loss in mind and immediately pushed for an equalizer whilst mindful of keeping in shape to avoid another Girona-esque loss last weekend. In the 78 minute, a controversial penalty was awarded to Real Madrid after Casemiro fell with minimal contact from Moses Simon.
Substitute Gareth Bale converted the ensuing penalty after the referee spoke to the VAR officials through the Mic. The final substitution of the game saw Asensio replace Vinicius but the Spaniard played a part in making sure the three points were secured, although he almost provided an assist in his brief moment on the pitch.
Observation/Conclusion
The only justifiable excuse for such an underwhelming performance from the Real Madrid players expected to battle Barcelona in the next few days is they are conserving their energy for the tougher matches.
Vinicius who was one of the most brightest of the Real Madrid players tonight continues his rawness, which is quite understandable for a player of his age, expected to grow and mature with the right coach and with time. He makes up for his immaturity on the ball with impressive defensive work rate and directness in attack. He missed a clear opportunity and was involved in the team's best offensive displays throughout the match.
Another player worthy of appalud is Casemiro whose ability to misplace passes is no longer a surprise to everyone that knows him well but what he lacks in passes, he makes up for it in work ethic. He intercepted 3 balls, the highest in the team, 5 aerial duels, the highest in the team and completed an applaudable number of passes and not to mention, won the controversial penalty that gave Real Madrid the win. Quite very much prepared for the Clasico if you ask me.
Benzema, Modric and Reguilon, players who has impressed in recent matches and continues to impress played a key role in the win as well but were clearly not as involved as you did expect them to be, probably reserving their best for the next difficult game.
This was a hard fought win but a win is a win and the three points would go a long way in keeping Real Madrid's title hopes alive.
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