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A Raphael Varane brace in the 2020-21 La Liga powered Real Madrid to a 2-1 victory away to Huesca on Saturday.
The visitors welcomed manager Zinedine Zidane back to the bench after recovering from COVID-19. However, he had to make do with a severely depleted squad, owing to several injury concerns.
Nevertheless, a lively first half saw both sides fashion good chances, although the two goalkeepers were up to the task for everything thrown at them.
Vinicius Junior was the brightest spark for Real Madrid and most of their best periods in the first half came from the left flank. The Brazilian was, however, guilty of poor decision-making in the final third, much to the consternation of his teammates.
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The second half started brightly, with the hosts getting on the front foot, with Huesca striking the post twice in the space of three minutes.
The first one was an ingenious flick from Mikel Rico that was lobbed onto the crossbar. Three minutes later, a beautiful team move saw Jaime Seoane put in a great cross into the Real Madrid box, only for Rafa Mir's volley getting deflected off the post.
In between the two chances, Huesca went ahead when Javi Galan sent an excellent left-footed finish beyond Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in the 48th minute.
However, having withstood that period of early pressure from the hosts, Real Madrid were awarded a free-kick in a promising position. Karim Benzema stood over the set-piece but saw his well-taken shot rattle off the crossbar.
With goalkeeper Alvaro Fernandez having dived out of the picture, a goalline scramble ended with Varane bundling the ball over the line for a 58th-minute equaliser for Real Madrid.
Both sides created good chances to win the game, with Rafa Mir forcing Courtois into a fine save from a point-blank header.
A Real Madrid team move found Karim Benzema unmarked in the box, but the Frenchman shot straight at Fernandez, with the goal gaping from six yards.
However,.with time running out, Real Madrid got their noses in front from another set-piece. Toni Kross sent a cross to the back post, from which Casemiro headed goalwards; Fernandez made a fine save. But Raphael Varane reacted quickest to ensure that Los Blancos returned to the capital with all three points.
On that note, here are five talking points from the fixture.
#5 Inspired Huesca unlucky to end the game empty-handed
Huesca came into the game as the bottom-placed side and odds-on favorites to return to the second division. The Aragon outfit have garnered only 16 points from their opening 21 games, recording their first victory in nine La Liga games last weekend.
Despite coming up against the defending champions, Huesca were unfazed and put Real Madrid on the back foot on several occasions. The opening ten minutes of the second half were extremely one-sided, with the hosts asking all questions off Real Madrid.
However, they failed to take their chances, as the visiting goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois proved almost unbeatable.
On the overall balance of play, Huesca will feel like they deserved something from the game. But Real Madrid ultimately punished them for failing to take their chances.
#4 Real Madrid keep flailing hope alive in La Liga title race
Real Madrid came into this game ten points behind Atletico Madrid, having played a game more.
With the games coming thick and fast, it is looking increasingly likely that Los Blancos would surrender their title to their city rivals.
Anything other than a victory would have all but put paid to their hopes of successfully defending their title. But Zidane's side eventually did enough to give themselves a slim shot at glory.
The victory moves Real Madrid up to 43 points, seven points behind Los Colchoneros.
It still requires a spectacular and unlikely collapse from Simeone's side for the Bernabeu outfit to overtake them. However, the Huesca win ensured that Real Madrid did their part to take advantage of any unforeseen slip-ups.
#3 Unlikely hero Raphael Varane steps up to save Real Madrid's day
On a day when Real Madrid were rocked by the news that Sergio Ramos is set to spend time on the sidelines, it was his defensive partner Raphael Varane who stepped up to the plate.
Despite being surrounded by world-class attacking talent, the French defender scored two goals to ensure that his side got all three points.
The two goals required high awareness to take advantage of rebounds, and Varane was at the right place at the right time on both occasions.
Beyond his contributions in attack, the 27-year-old still showed his defensive nous with one interception and two clearances.
Raphael Varane has come in for criticism in recent months over his underperformances. However, against Huesca, he showed that he still has a huge role to play for Real Madrid at both ends.
#2 Alvaro Odriozola's struggles continue
Alvaro Odriozola joined Real Madrid from Real Sociedad in the summer of 2018, but he has managed just 22 La Liga appearances in the last three years.
The impeccable performance of Dani Carvajal has contributed to this, but Carvajal's increasing fitness issues in recent years has given Odriozola a window of opportunity.
He has, however, not been able to take it, and it appears that Zinedine Zidane does not have full confidence in the 25-year-old. Natural winger Lucas Vazquez is usually deployed on the right flank of defence ahead of the former Sociedad man.
However, with both men absent due to injury, Odriozola was handed just his fourth league start of the season against Huesca. But it was not a performance he would look back too fondly on.
Huesca manager Pacheta seemed to identify him as a weak link in the Real Madrid defence. Most of his side's attacks in the first half targeted his flank, and he was beaten time and again by Javi Galan.
Furthermore, Odriozola looked out of sync with his teammates and was guilty of profligate passing on several occasions.
It came as no surprise when he was the first change made by the Real Madrid manager, with Marcelo coming on in his stead after just 63 minutes.
#1 Mounting injury crisis a cause of concern for Real Madrid
Real Madrid are currently in the midst of a severe injury crisis that has seen several first-team players ruled out of action.
As a result, Zidane named a squad of just 17 players for the trip to Huescas, with the six players on the bench comprising of two goalkeepers and four outfield players.
Of the four, only Marcelo and Mariano Diaz have requisite first-team experience, which is far from an ideal situation.
This problem was laid bare when Real Madrid needed a goal late in the game, but Zidane could only call on Mariano, with his other two introductions being Marcelo and Castilla midfielder Marvin Park who came on for just his second senior team appearance.
With crunch games coming up in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, Zinedine Zidane will hope for better news on the injury front.
