[Sports] Real Madrid hold the lead to the rhythm of Modric

[G h o s t l y.]

He dominated in play and occasions a Levante that woke up in the second half and forced Courtois to appear. Vinicius scores his second consecutive goal and Benzema closes the scoring, to which a goal from Ramos does not go up in offside



 

Real Madrid grit their teeth to emerge victorious in a game that escaped only 25 minutes, enough for a chameleonic team like Levante, capable of being dominated and chasing shadows, put Courtois to the test looking for a draw that, at times could deserve. From Vinicius's goal to Benzema's sentence, the Whites dominated and disappeared from the game at the pace set by Modric. [Narration and statistics]
 

The duel started without the whites leaving hardly a moment in doubt at the Estadio de la Cerámica. Levante, in the last game of his exile, chased white shirts, without a ball and without respite to think about the few times he went through his boots. It was not the campaign afternoon, and without his loose genius, the Levante is dwarfed. And if the granotas get stuck, their recourse is the careers of Morales, who did not find the tickling of a very wrapped Nacho when the Commander started. Madrid, without fear, amassed the game when and how much it wanted, but it cost them to finish it off.
 

Modric warned at the start that he had found the hole through which to break Paco López's team, but his pass to Benzema was taken out by Clerc. The Barça cards were shown by Morales facing Courtois offside. That was the plan that had to be refined, although with the score against it.

Vinicius insisted on showing Zidane that his presence in the eleven was not going to remain an anecdote. A corner kick by the omnipresent Croatian midfielder was combed by Casemiro and fell at the Brazilian's feet. Only at the far post, he lowered it and loaded the right to place it with the interior where Aitor did not reach. The second goal in two days and to celebrate his fifty games in LaLiga.
 

He did not find how to react Levante. Lost the center of the field in the hands of Modric and Casemiro, weighed down by a yellow, the occasions did not stop. Again Vinicius teamed up with Benzema, but the Frenchman's control was long, as a left to the far post of the Brazilian pivot escaped. Levante's response came with a shot from Vukcevic to the crossbar, the clearest chance in the entire first half, a perfect cross from Clerc that didn't touch Morales's head. They were trying to shake off dominance with no luck.
 

REVIVE THE LEVANTE

Madrid had the game in their hands when they came back from the dressing room. Ten minutes in which Benzema again crashed with the stick, Vinicius crossed in excess a filtered pass from Asensio and looked for the Frenchman's shot in a break-in on the wing. They did not bury the Levant and it revived.
 

Paco López patched his core with the entry of former Madrid player Melero and the game began to flow as the white forces faded. A right hand from Bardhi brought out the figure of Courtois, which Madrid clung to to hold the tie.
 

The Macedonian put him to the test in every possible way, even with another shot that hit Casemiro and the Belgian took out, already defeated, with his feet. The wall seemed insurmountable, but faith was not lost and even more so when the VAR appeared as an ally to annul Ramos' goal for a very tight offside.
 

Zidane had to give oxygen to his core with the entry of Isco and Odegaard. By then, Clerc had already become Mendy's nightmare, Melero had finished with a header over the crossbar and the white side himself had forced Aitor to a punches clearance with a long shot.
 

With Levante overturned in the area looking for the stroke of luck, the sentence arrived. Real Madrid does not usually forgive and less Benzema. Too many mistakes in one afternoon to miss the last chance. His goal was the finishing touch to a duel that, without even realizing it, became excessively complicated for Zinedine Zidane's team when he was on his way to being the most complete of this recently released season. Mistakes are best healed from the lead.