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Champions Real Madrid visited city rivals Leganes in their final match of the 2019/20 LaLiga season.
Leganes came into the match needing a win to avoid relegation, although they also needed fellow strugglers Celta Vigo to drop points in their encounter against Espanyol. Celta were held to a 0-0 draw, but Leganes could also gain only a point despite their valiant efforts.
Goals from Sergio Ramos and Marco Asensio on either side of half-time condemned Leganes to the drop, despite strikes from Bryan Gil and Roger Assale.
Manager Zinedine Zidane made a few changes to the Spanish top-flight's best defense, giving Alphonse Areola a start in goal, while Lucas Vazquez and Eder Militao were also part of the starting XI.
Leganes' leading goal-scorer, Real Madrid loanee Oscar Rodriguez, started on the bench as he had just recovered from an injury.
Real Madrid's captain Ramos was criminally left unmarked early in the game, and he duly obliged by heading Isco's delicious cross past Ivan Cuellar in the Lega goal. Although Gil pulled one back on the stroke of half-time for Leganes, Asensio found space behind the defense and slotted calmly past Cuellar to restore his side's lead.
Assale's 78th minute strike gave Leganes hope and although they fashioned a couple of clear-cut chances in the dying embers of the game, they failed to claim all three points in a heartbreaking result.
As for Real Madrid, they finish the LaLiga campaign 5 points ahead of second-placed Barcelona. Los Blancos also boast of the best defense in the Spanish top-flight, having conceded only 25 goals.
Here are 5 hits and flops from a dramatic conclusion to the 2019/20 LaLiga season.
#5 Hit - Jonathan Silva, Leganes
Jonathan Silva must have licked his lips when he saw Lucas Vazquez starting at right-back for Real Madrid, and the Leganes left-back didn't disappoint. Silva ran rings around Vazquez throughout the game, putting in 5 crosses and creating as many as 8 chances.
The Argentine was a nightmare for the Real Madrid defense on the overlap and claimed the assists for both Leganes goals. A lovely chip into the box was smartly finished by Gil, before an excellent cross found Assale in a pocket of space between the centre-backs, with the Ivorian dispatching the effort past the helpless Areola.
Although the 26-year-old was guilty of letting Asensio run in behind him for Real Madrid's second, the midfield, which lost the ball to Isco in the build-up, was more to blame.
#4 Flop - Karim Benzema, Real Madrid
Karim Benzema came into this game four goals behind Lionel Messi in the race for the Pichichi Trophy, but failed to impose himself on the game throughout. Starting ahead of Luka Jovic only due to this outside chance of claiming the top-scorer honour, the Frenchman was largely isolated for most part of the first half.
With fatigue definitely playing a role in Benzema's lack of sharpness (he has played the most minutes for Real Madrid since the restart), the striker had no shots on target and created no chances. Unable to link with Vinicius Junior or Asensio, the 32-year-old was taken off in the 60th minute.
Irrespective of his poor performance today, Benzema finished the LaLiga campaign with 21 goals and 8 assists, and was arguably Los Blancos' most important player in their title triumph.
#3 Hit - Bryan Gil, Leganes
Bryan Gil was the catalyst behind Leganes' comeback in this game against Real Madrid. With the side looking largely devoid of inspiration, he controlled Silva's lobbed pass and finished expertly through the legs of Areola from a tight angle to give the team some hope heading into the half-time break.
He always looked to make something happen, and linked up extremely well with Silva and Recio on the left-hand side of the park. Gil had 2 shots on target and won back possession 9 times, and was an ever-willing runner off the ball as well.
The Sevilla loanee has played only 14 games this LaLiga season but this performance might be enough for his parent club to call him back. It is difficult to see Gil play in the second division, and even if the Andalusians are unable to guarantee him playing time, the 19-year-old should find a LaLiga team that can.
#2 Flop - Unai Bustinza, Leganes
Leganes' captain was expected to inspire his team to an unlikely victory against Real Madrid, but failed to marshal his defense in the most important game of the season.
Bustinza committed the cardinal sin of losing his marker, Sergio Ramos, in a set-piece nine minutes into the game. His opposition captain gleefully converted the free header, and the goal proved to be the difference-maker in the end.
The centre-back was inaccurate with his long balls and unconvincing with the ball at his feet. He frequently left space behind him that Benzema and Vinicius couldn't take advantage of. Bustinza was also carded for a needless foul on Mendy shorty after half-time.
Coming into this game on the back of 4 consecutive clean sheets, the 28-year-old had the opportunity to establish himself in Leganes folklore, but his unassertive performance played a big part in Los Pepineros' relegation.
#1 Hit - Isco, Real Madrid
Isco has not looked comfortable when playing in a traditional central midfield role, but the Spaniard ran the show against Leganes in the absence of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
Playing alongside Federico Valverde and the ever-present Casemiro, the playmaker put in a Man of the Match performance that saw him claim the assists for both Real Madrid goals.
After a superb delivery found Ramos for the first goal, Isco won back possession in midfield before releasing Marco Asensio on the right-hand side with an inch-perfect pass that the winger converted.
The 28-year-old sprayed 89 passes all over the pitch, and created as many as 5 chances. His close control and dribbling were as precise as ever, and the Leganes midfield duo of Recio and Amadou had no answers to his wizardry.
Isco featured in only 23 matches for Real Madrid in the recently-concluded LaLiga campaign, but given Zidane's obvious faith in him, we could see the diminutive midfielder excel in the whites for years to come.
