Real Madrid is still very solid

Real Madrid reaffirmed its leadership with a hard-fought victory at the Martínez Valero against Elche, a match in which the Whites had to overcome a very unusual circumstance.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
19 October 2022 Wednesday 18:33
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Real Madrid is still very solid

Real Madrid reaffirmed its leadership with a hard-fought victory at the Martínez Valero against Elche, a match in which the Whites had to overcome a very unusual circumstance. The VAR annulled three goals, all for millimetric offside.

Elche hadn't won a game so far, but against the whites they always find a way to make them a very uncomfortable game. Jorge Almirón's team was involved until the 75th minute, when Benzema scored the calming goal. In ten minutes of the second half, Lunin supported Madrid with great interventions that prevented a draw. He signed his best performance since he replaced Courtois.

Madrid played one of the best first half hours of the season, a combination of football that has rarely been seen. And yet he did not get much revenue. In those 30 minutes, the VAR annulled the Whites two goals with which they could have sentenced, both for offsides that Gil Manzano did not notice but the VOR room did. The first, by Benzema, was invalidated due to an illegal position by Vinícius, and the second, by Alaba, because Benzema was in an illegal situation when giving him the assist. In the middle of the two disallowed goals, Fede Valverde scored with a whiplash, his fifth goal of the season.

The Uruguayan is more than complying with Ancelotti's request that he shoot more on goal. Three of Valverde's goals have been from outside the area.

Ancelotti rotated less than expected. Only two changes from the classic. Mendy and Tchouaméni had a rest and in their place Rüdiger, who played with a mask, and Rodrygo Goes came out.

The absence of Tchouaméni meant that Kroos had to play five, a position that he does not like, as the German never tires of saying. During the first half hour Elche did not go beyond midfield, but to which Jorge Almirón's men stretched, Madrid accused the presence of a midfield with more physical deployment to cut the cons.

Elche, a team whose fans in the twelfth minute protested massively against the arbitrations (they had just felt very damaged in Mestalla the previous day), found themselves alive because of the two goals annulled against Madrid and decided to stretch lines. The match gradually balanced out and Nico put Lunin to the test, forcing him to make a big save.

The second half began with Elche dominating, in search of a draw against a Madrid that seemed shrunken, as in a voluntary withdrawal to hunt down a counterattack and shelve the match.

Once again, Madrid crashed again against the VAR, this time the offside of Carvajal, who assisted Benzema, seemed clearer than the previous two goals disallowed.

Elche found its moment and went up. Lucas Boyé had the tie in the head but Lunin avoided it in a stop where he showed off his great reflexes.

What pointed to an uneasy ending for Madrid was finished by Benzema, who took advantage of a heel strike from Rodrygo to finally beat Edgar. He scored and looked at Gil Manzano, laughing, as if to tell him if this was going to be the fourth disallowed goal.

There was no more party. Asensio came out and had time to score his goal. The Balearic plays little but does not lose his nose. Madrid ended up having a good time. Still very solid.