Although one of the rules of Real Madrid is not to stop believing; it is another to never lose sight of reality. And they know that LaLiga is more than complicated, but that there are still a couple of bullets left for the season to end with a very good taste in the mouth. LaLiga, then, is the testing place, also the competition in which to measure yourself, check how the team and its most important players are doing after a year that was too irregular, without the record of last season. And in LaLiga, against Valladolid, before going to the Camp Nou on Wednesday, Karim Benzema invited the madridistas to dream of a final of the season like the last, with the French striker in all or almost all the important and unforgettable plays in the area. It happened just 7 minutes into the first half, the third fastest hattrick in the history of Real Madrid, a sprint by Benzema to feed hope, to think that with him at the helm, anything is possible. He put in a shot, with his head and a very fast and very agile Chilean kick. A Benzema finally unleashed, the best news for the team to grow.
Valladolid could not withstand the gale. So much for a pretty, but lazy team; with intention and very little forcefulness. Pacheta will probably be haunted for several days by a question: “What would have happened if?”, that question that we all ask ourselves, that haunts us on nights when we cannot sleep. What would have happened if Valladolid had taken advantage of their first and very good fifteen minutes at the Bernabéu?, daring in attack and too much in defense, with two very dangerous arrivals: one at the post and another that went wide by very little. He was able to get ahead on the scoreboard while the local team did not know very well what to expect or, almost, if they cared about the game. Or was he hiding. Because Camavinga stole, Asensio ran, Rodrygo finished off and there wasn’t much else to tell for the Pucelano team. He fell with a crash, while Benzema put on dance shoes.
The goal was a run by Asensio from midfielder, a place that Rodrygo was occupying at the start of the game, but since he couldn’t reach the ball, he changed places with Marco and went to the right wing. It was a decisive change to change the course of the game. Real Madrid, with this new plan, with Tchouameni and Kroos in the center, was not clear on it, until they had it. Very clear. If they let him run and Valladolid did, he was not going to have compassion on his rival.
Ancelotti says that LaLiga is not shooting, but what matters is what comes now and matches like the one against Valladolid help him test positions and give players minutes. Asensio was falling out of the rotations and was able to enjoy and score the fifth. Lucas Vázquez, with a goal at the end, tried to make it difficult for a Carvajal in crisis, while Tchouameni fought to try to win the second place ahead of Camavinga. But it is that the side yesterday is like a shot, also in the band. Without Rüdiger, but with Nacho and Alaba, these two positions are the most important decisions that Ancelotti has to make for Wednesday’s clash.
Rodrygo’s goal changed the game. Vinicius, for example, who had not appeared much and who was having a hard time running inside, his favorite move, changed the role and became a passer: thus he gave a warm and wonderful pass to Benzema to start his festival.
Gale of Real Madrid against Valladolid
By then, Valladolid, so focused until then, so precise in the marks and the pursuits, lost the site and did not know how to find it. Pacheta’s three central defenders felt outnumbered by the attack by the madridistas. It was all water leaks, because the madridistas left their marker behind and came in waves to the goal of an impotent Asenjo.
Benzema, meanwhile, began to float. He scored his second after a personal move leaving defenses behind and putting the ball in the top corner and closed his quick party with a spectacular Chilean kick. The game continued, it went until the break, the second half was played, Benzema was substituted, the fifth and sixth were scored, but it didn’t matter a bit. Everything was already done and hope was well lit.
Well, it didn’t matter at all: the one who came out for Benzema in the second half was Hazard. You can and must believe that Benzema has returned. The Hazard thing requires more faith, but that’s what Easter is for..