Madrid (AFP)
Finally launched: thanks to its captains and an unexpected savior named Rodrygo, Real Madrid ended up snatching its first victory in the Champions League this season on Tuesday, sinking 3-2 an Inter Milan still in search of a first success and good last of group B.
Out of nowhere: forgotten on the bench and sentenced to a few matches since the start of the season, the young 19-year-old Brazilian winger Rodrygo allowed Real Madrid, under pressure after the equalizer of Inter by Ivan Perisic ( 68th), to come out of its European torpor.
Behind the scoring bosses Karim Benzema (25th) and Sergio Ramos (33rd), the trusted men of Zinédine Zidane with whom they won a treble in the Champions League (2016, 2017, 2018), it was Rodrygo who was reminded the French technician, with a decisive right strike in the 80th, after the achievements of Lautaro Martinez (35th) and Ivan Perisic (68th)
While his compatriot Vinicius was eagerly awaited at the start of the season in the absence of Eden Hazard, it was the youngest author of a treble in the Champions League (last year against Galatasaray) who saved the " White House "from the start of a European debacle.
Rodrygo had only seen the end of six small matches since the start of the season in La Liga (only once against Real Sociedad on the first day, September 20), without ever scoring ... and had not either was decisive against the B team of Shakhtar Donetsk, when Zidane had decided to turn.
- 100th goal for Ramos -
And alongside the young Brazilian prodigy, the tauliers were there to show the way: Karim Benzema opened the scoring by mischievously intercepting a hazardous receding pass from ex-Real hope Achraf Hakimi and keeping his balance to push this ball at the back of the net (25th), then captain Sergio Ramos doubled the bet for the Merengues, taking a nice cross header from a corner from Toni Kroos (33rd), for his 100th goal in all competitions under the colors of Real .
They carried Real Madrid to a 34th national title between June and July, after confinement, and shine again when the Merengues need it most: on the cold night of Real's training center in Valdebebas, Benzema and Ramos woke up a sleeping Real Madrid on Tuesday night since the start of their European campaign.
"Lautaro" reduced the gap in stride (35th), on a heel of genius from the Italian playing master Nicolo Barella, then Perisic equalized ... but it was insufficient for Antonio Conte's Inter, lacking offensive benchmarks without his chief gunner Romelu Lukaku (injured), and suffocated by the pressing of the "White House" in the first period.
- Admission of weakness -
And it is again because of their problems behind that Inter Milan fall, more hampered by defensive approximations than by the lack of offensive options.
Because Lautaro Martinez and Perisic were rather realistic ... despite two big missed opportunities, one each, in the last quarter of an hour of the match (75th, 76th).
The return of the Italians is, therefore, a terrible admission of weakness for the Madrid eleven.
After trailing 3-0 against Shakhtar Donetsk on Matchday 1, and 2-0 against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Matchday 2, Zinedine Zidane's men found themselves in the opposite position on Tuesday night, leading 2- 0 after half an hour of play ... But failed to keep control of the game.
Despite an avoidable blow of stress, Real Madrid pocketed their first victory of the season and finally launched their European campaign ... while Inter will still have to fight in the return matches of the group stage, to win their ticket to the 8th finals.
© 2020 AFP