Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund played out an expansive, end to end game which finally ended all square at 2-2. The game at the Bernabeu was going to have an impact on who will top the group out of the two with Dortmund winning that race comfortably. Thomas Tuchel's young side had to work hard to bounce back after falling 2-0 behind near the hour mark. But as they say, 'Cometh the hour, Cometh the champion' as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang rose to the occasion and turned the game on its head.
Karim Benzema scored a brace to race Madrid into a 2-0 lead which should have been enough to seal the victory at home. Aubameyang halved the deficit at the hour mark and then gave an assist to Marco Reus in the 89th minute to level the game. Overall Real were the better side but their defensive frailties again came to the fore as Dortmund capitalised on Zidane's men small mistakes. Let's take a look at the five talking points from the exciting contest that happened at the Bernabeu :
#1 A frustrating night for Cristiano Ronaldo
The Portuguese superstar went into the game having not scored in the Champions League for the last three match days. It’s been a disappointing time for Ronaldo as far as European competition is concerned having scored just two goals in the group stages; his worst return in a Real Madrid shirt. This has not been a good week for the 31-year-old as recently his name was dragged into tax evasion charges which his agency has strongly refuted.
Against Dortmund, Ronaldo was selfless in the first half. In the second half, the Portuguese was plain unlucky not to find the back of the net, as first, he tested Roman Weidenfeller with a crisp shot from the edge of the box which the custodian saved brilliantly and then he got the better of Weidenfeller on one occasion but the post came to Dortmund's rescue.
#2 Dortmund's young side showed it's weakness
Having such an exciting squad with a plethora of talent must be a dream for Thomas Tuchel to work for. Dortmund's young team was expected to be fast in their counter attacks and they did just that which resulted in them negating a two-goal deficit on the night and top the group against Real Madrid's might.
But this team can also be vulnerable which was also evident in the first half as Madrid dominated the procession and scored two deserved goals. In attacks too, Ousmane Dembele had one brilliant chance where he bamboozled at least half of Madrid's defence but couldn't pick his head up and search for teammates as he attempted a weak shot which should have resulted in more.
#3 Casemiro was badly missed by Real Madrid during his injury layoff
The defensive midfielder has grown in stature in a team full of superstars with often his work going unnoticed. With all the exploits of the Ronaldos and Bales in the team, a certain Casemiro has established himself as the one on whom the team depends on. His injury had resulted in Madrid losing the midfield plot at times which was evident in the El Clasico, where after Andres Iniesta's introduction, Madrid began to get dominated in the centre of the park.
He gets the dirty work done effectively as he did against Dortmund which gave Luka Modric and James Rodriguez to roam ahead freely. Casemiro also timed his tackles well against the German side, which on occasion started a brilliant Madrid counter attack. Real look more threatening with Casemiro in their side and now with him being available and back to fill fitness, Real Madrid have sent a warning to all their European rivals.
#4 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang aces Bernabeu audition with flying colours
There are not many players who have spoken frankly about their future than the Gabonese striker. Aubameyang has always maintained that his future lies away from Dortmund with Real Madrid being a prime destination for the hotshot forward. A long time target of the Premier League teams, Aubameyang has also revealed that he has made a promise to his late grandfather that one day he will don a white Real shirt.
When he arrived at the Bernabeu amidst much fanfare, the striker was not overawed by the situation but held the game by the scruff of its neck and turned it in the second half. First, he scored a simple tap in with all the hard work being done by his teammates and then assisted Marco Reus after a typical enthralling Dortmund counter attack. Real Madrid supporters must be wishing that Aubameyang chooses to join them in the near future with the striker developing a knack of scoring against the biggest teams.
#5 Real Madrid may not regret coming second in the group
Thomas Tuchel and his boys have done a tremendous job of finishing top and winning their group. But the real work starts now and they have opened the possibility of facing the likes of Manchester City or PSG in the next stages with both the sides coming as second best in their group.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, might feel dejected to lose the top spot with both teams playing out to win but all is not gone awry for Zinedine Zidane as his side have a lot of average opponents in the next draw. Leicester City are one of them as Madrid would feel lucky to avoid the likes of Manchester City and Bayern Munich to face so early in the competition.
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