Real Madrid are back on the winning streak after beating their city rivals Madrid CFF with the result of 0-1. Below are my thoughts and views on the match.
This time with a formation change, this was another game with 5 changes in the starting XI with respect to the previous game. Misa on goal with the back three of Lakrar, Rocío, and Méndez made up the defense. Olga and Shei played as wingbacks, while Tere, Leupolz, and Angeldahl operated in the middle. The Danish duo of Møller and Bruun were the striker duo for this game.
The match started with high press from both sides. In the first couple of minutes, Las Blancas were already seen panicking in the back 3 when Madrid CFF started their high press from their right-hand side. Melgård was always the starter of Madrid’s press.
Not long after, Bruun and Møller acted together to press Madrid. Already in the 4th minute, Bruun managed to steal the ball from Madrid’s backline and enter their box. When speaking about the striker duo, it was mostly Møller pulling back to communicate with the midfield. because of that, when Bruun did the same, her duels were seen as messy, from where she got carded in the process.
The halftime substitution of Weir replacing Møller didn’t bring much to the game. The back 3 plan wasn’t working, and the Scottish midfielder was barely noticed on the pitch. Later on, in 65’, Alberto Toril changed the formation by bringing on Caicedo and Redondo for Rocío and Bruun. However, with this substitution, the right-hand side was left completely naked, and it was left undefined until the last change happened. Weir and Redondo kept switching to cover the hole at the front on the right, but it wasn’t enough.
The total change of the right side happened too late in the game, in 8’. Shi and Angeldahl went out for Athenea and Antonia. Athenea tried to counterattack a few times where she’d be stopped soon. The match had already died down even before this change and nothing significant happened in the later stage of the encounter.
The second half as a whole revived Madrid CFF as they moved up much more often. In the opening minutes of the second half, Las Blancas allowed their rivals an open shot where Melgård was the one entering the box from the left wing, and passing it through Real’s entire line of defense to reach Bonsegundo. Real Madrid had a lot of luck in this moment since Bonsegundo didn’t receive the ball well and shot it way over the crossbar. There were a few more similar occasions in which Las Blancas allowed a clear shot for their opponents due to a hole in the backline.
- 17’ GOAL (0-1) by Signe Bruun: Madrid’s short corner routine was intercepted by Shei who started the counterattack by passing it forward to Olga. She then ran with the ball and before she’d get intercepted, Olga sent it to the right wing, it was a heavier ball where Leupolz had to run to get it. The midfielder got a hold of the ball, sending it into the box. The ball flicks off Møller to reach Bruun in front of the net.
- The 18-year-old Kamilla Melgård was running through Real’s wide areas left and right, causing danger while carrying and receiving the ball. The youngster has been a starter for Madrid CFF since the beginning of the season after arriving at the club this summer. She received the official MVP of the match and deservedly so.
- On the other side, Real Madrid’s individual performances are quite hard to pinpoint. Only Maëlle Lakrar and Misa Rodríguez come to mind when talking about the impact, together with Melanie Leupolz who was saving Real’s right-hand side the entire match. The French centerback did well in the experiment with the back-3 formation when nobody else in the defense stood out. With her well-timed tackles and precise long balls, Lakrar made a name for herself in this encounter.
Lakrar’s stellar performance today
2 interceptions
2 clearances
3 tackles
48/54 accurate passes (89%)
2 key passes
6/7 accurate long balls
4/6 ground duels won
2/2 aerial duels won
+2 (1) shots (on target) pic.twitter.com/07tYPDBN6k— Las Blancas Podcast (@las_blancas) October 20, 2024
Frustrating 3 points in the second Madrid derby of the season. Not many good conclusions to draw from this experiment of the match before the international break starts.
