Real Madrid, Atletico Prep For City Derbies With Vital La Liga Wins
26th September 2019
Vinicius Junior, who has endured a difficult few months, filled the void, bending a shot into the top corner before crying tears of what presumably were a mixture of joy and relief
- Real Madrid's crisis has been averted for the time being at least after they beat Osasuna 2-0 on Wednesday without Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale to return to the top of La Liga
- Hazard and Bale were among a number of players rested by coach Zinedine Zidane, with Real facing seven games in 21 days, the next of them against city rivals Atletico Madrid on Saturday
- Earlier, Atletico's Alvaro Morata made a swift impact too but with less positive results after he was sent off eight minutes after being introduced as a substitute against Real Mallorca
MADRID, Spain- Real Madrid's crisis has been averted for the time being at least after they beat Osasuna 2-0 on Wednesday without Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale to return to the top of La Liga.
Hazard and Bale were among a number of players rested by
coach Zinedine Zidane, with Real facing seven games in 21 days, the next of
them against city rivals Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
Vinicius Junior, who has endured a difficult few months,
filled the void, bending a shot into the top corner before crying tears of what
presumably were a mixture of joy and relief.
This time last year the 19-year-old seemed about to explode
onto the scene but injury and then a dip in form saw him drift, with this a
chance to reassert himself in a much-rotated line-up.
If Vinicius was Madrid's Brazilian sensation 12 months ago,
Rodrygo might be one for the present.
The 18-year-old, who was bought from Santos in 2018 but
joined last summer, added a superb second goal, and his first for the club,
just one minute after coming off the bench.
Earlier, Atletico's Alvaro Morata made a swift impact too
but with less positive results after he was sent off eight minutes after being
introduced as a substitute against Real Mallorca.
Atletico were already 2-0 up thanks to goals from Diego
Costa and Joao Felix but Morata will now be suspended for the derby at the
Wanda Metropolitano.
The Spaniard's dreadful night got worse as he also appeared
to engage in a heated exchange with a fan as he later left the stadium.
A week ago it would have been almost unthinkable that
Atletico would play their rivals in a contest of first against second in La
Liga but that could now be the setting this weekend, depending on Sevilla and
Real Sociedad's results on Thursday.
La Real beat Atletico, who were then held to a goalless draw
by Celta Vigo, but by far the deeper sense of gloom had engulfed Zidane's side,
after they were humbled 3-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
That was Real's worst defeat under Zidane as coach and
prompted questions about the Frenchman's future, with Jose Mourinho available
and seemingly waiting in the wings.
Instead, back-to-back victories for the first
time since Zidane came back in March have lifted the malaise and offered hope
there is still life in this Madrid squad, despite the lack of change since the
summer.