Real Madrid survived some early resistance from minnows Legia Warsaw as the reigning European champions saw off the Polish challenge in style as they beat Warsaw 5-1 at the Bernabeu. The first 25 minutes of the game were pretty exciting as Warsaw had a fair share of the ball and had decent chances to put themselves ahead. Gareth Bale then opened the scoring in fine style in the 16th minute which opened the floodgates for a Real Madrid annihilation.
Marcelo's shot took a cruel deflection of Tomasz Jodlowiec and it was 2-0 to the hosts. Warsaw received a penalty next and was calmly slotted home by Miroslav Radovic but soon Marcos Asensio scored Madrid's third goal and took the game out of Warsaw's reach.
Lucas Vazquez and Alvaro Morata scored in the second half to take Real’s tally up to five in the game. The win also ensured the La Liga side joined Borussia Dortmund at the top of their Champions League group. Let's take a look at the five talking points from the game that underwent at the Bernabeu :
#1 Gareth Bale finally scores a goal from open play in Europe
Despite his crucial role in Real's Champions League victory last season as he scored a penalty in the final against Atletico Madrid, Bale had not scored from open play since Ludogorets visited Bernabeu in 2014. He finally broke his duck as he scored a delightful goal cutting in and driving in a powerful shot into the side netting.
Bale opened the scoring but could not continue his good performance ahead as he lost possession on many occasions and was guilty of trying too hard. His crossing was also sub par as the Welshman was substituted in the 60th minute for Alvaro Morata who was brilliant against Warsaw.
#2 Marcelo, Vazquez and Morata were the best players
The Brazilian Marcelo was effective as he basically was stationed as a left winger beside Ronaldo and had many chances to score. He was successful on one occasion as his powerful low drive took a deflection and went into the back of the net.
Zidane's substitutions also paid off as both Vazquez and Morata were brilliant in the tie against the Polish team.
The youngster, Vazquez, smashed home a brilliant volley as he scored Madrid's fourth goal and is fast becoming Zidane's go to guy. Morata scored a goal and also provided an assist as the Spaniard is all set to dethrone Karim Benzema from the starting lineup soon if he continues his good run of form. The Spaniard has been involved in Madrid's last three goals in Europe in an astonishing 54 minutes.
#3 Legia Warsaw did not arrive to sit back
The Polish team started the game brilliantly and if not for Keylor Navas, Legia would have scored at least three against a strong Madrid side. Odjidja-Ofoe drilled a brilliant shot in the first half but was unlucky to hit the post and Legia had a few good chances which were thwarted by the brilliance of the Madrid goalkeeper.
In spite of conceding two goals in the first half, Legia did not try to reduce the damage and sit back like some managers do even with the costliest assembled squad of all time. Warsaw's fullbacks bombarded forward and the visitors had their fair share of opportunities to score a few goals against the reigning European champions.
#4 Defence still an issue for Real Madrid
Los Blancos should have kept a clean sheet against the supposed minnows but failed to do so after conceding a penalty in the first half. It was a cynical foul by Danilo who brought down Radovic, and the Warsaw player scored calmly from the spot. In the twelve games that Madrid have played this season, they have kept just two clean sheets which will be worrying Zinedine Zidane.
The Bernabeu crowd's boos were reserved for Danilo but the entire Madrid defence was to blame as Legia had plenty of chances to make life tough for the Madrid team. Real must make improvements in their back line if they want to topple Borussia Dortmund from the top spot of Group F and finish as the winners.
#5 Legia Warsaw fans deserve the punishment of playing their home games behind closed doors
The Polish giants returned to the Champions League after 21 long years and created a spectacle in their first home game against Borussia Dortmund. But the game was marred by violence and racial abuse as UEFA had to ban Legia from allowing their fans into the stadium and will now play their remaining games behind closed doors.
4,000 Polish fans were in attendance at the Bernabeu but despite tight security, clashes were reported between the Legia supporters and the riot police. Five supporters and two policemen are said to be in the hospital after the violence with the Polish team expected to face more action because of their fans' illogical behaviour.
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