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Real Madrid suffered their second consecutive defeat at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano on Wednesday, as Shakhtar Donetsk registered a 3-2 win in a thrilling UEFA Champions League encounter.
It was one of the best first-half performances against Real Madrid in Champions League history. Ukrainian champions Shakhtar made quick work of the defence and scored three impressive goals, all on quick and efficient counter-attacks.
Shakhtar were also without some of their key players heading to the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano. However, inspired displays from the youngsters, especially 20-year-old Tete, made it look as if it were the home side that were playing with a handicap.
There were some red flags for Madrid before Tete broke the deadlock in the 29th minute and their defensive frailty was exposed by the visitors. The first half completely belonged to the visitors, who enjoyed more possession, completed more passes and had a 100% shot accuracy.
Madrid learnt from their first-half mistakes and did not afford the visitors a lot of time and space on the ball, thus eliminating their threat from the counter after the restart.
They mounted an unsuccessful comeback in the second half through quick-fire goals from Luka Modric and substitute Vinicius Junior. A third was scored, but hopes were crushed when Fede Valverde's injury-time goal was ruled out by VAR.
Here, we take a look at five talking points from the five-goal thriller as Real Madrid suffered their second defeat in as many games.
#5 Real Madrid should probably switch to three-at-the-back
Zinedine Zidane has always preferred a four-man backline during his time in charge of Real Madrid. It has worked out for him as Dani Carvajal, Marcelo, Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane rarely pick up injuries. With all his options at right-back out injured though, he had to start a left-footed Ferland Mendy in the position.
The French defender is a really good full-back, but visibly struggled in an unfamiliar position. He needed an extra touch or two to get the ball to his favoured left foot before he could release a pass. It was clear that it would be difficult to continue with the current four-man backline without a specialist right-back.
Madrid have three great centre-backs in Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane and Eder Militao and can make a three-man defence work. With Casemiro as a defensive midfielder in front of them, they should not face a lot of problems containing their opponents.
Marcelo as a wing-back on the left flank could really benefit from the transition, while he could be partnered up with either Asensio or Rodrygo on the right.
#4 The good luck charm of the new stadium has worn off
Real Madrid had been enjoying a great run at their temporary home that is the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano. They had a 100% record there until their 1-0 defeat to Cadiz on Saturday.
Now with a shock defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk, they have lost their second game at the venue. On top of that, they have already conceded twice the amount of goals this season than they shipped in the six games at the venue last season.
Real Madrid have had a better record in their away games this season and that might be good news for them. They travel to Barcelona this weekend in the first El Clasico of the season and would not have wanted to take on their arch-rivals at home, given their recent form.
Also See: Elche vs. Valencia prediction, preview, team news and more | La Liga 2020-21
#3 Shakhtar deserved to take the three points from the game
Shakhtar Donetsk were unsurprisingly the underdogs heading into the fixture against Real Madrid. The fact that they were missing 10 first-team players due to COVID-19 meant they had to field a squad in which as many as eight players were under 23 years of age. The youngsters held onto their nerves though, and produced a memorable first-half performance that proved enough to win them the game.
20-year-old Tete had a role in all three goals for the visitors, as he scored the opener, hit the shot that led to Varane's own goal on a rebound and laid the assist for Manor Solomon's 42nd-minute goal. They had a spring in their step after the first goal and rode that momentum to go three goals ahead before the break.
The team was also solid at the back and managed to keep Real Madrid players in check for the first 45 minutes. Overall they showed a lot of heart in the game and as a result, were rewarded with a famous win over the 13-time Champions League winners.
#2 Luka Jovic does not deserve a place in the Real Madrid team
Although it is unfair to blame an individual player in a team sport like football, sometimes that individual does more harm than good and needs to be singled out for his shortcomings. For Real Madrid, that player seems to be Serbian forward Luka Jovic.
Jovic has been with Real Madrid for more than a year now and is yet to settle properly at the club. He is never in sync with his attacking partners and even when opportunities are created for him the box, he is too slow to react. He had as many touches as goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in Wednesday's defeat.
He had a golden opportunity to pull Madrid level just a couple of minutes after Tete's goal. Marcelo found him unmarked in the box with a peach of a cross, only for him to mistime the header.
Vinicius Junior scored just 15 seconds after replacing the striker and provided a much-needed spark in the final third.
#1 Zidane needs to work on his defence ahead of El Clasico
Tonight we witnessed one of the rarest scorelines ever recorded against Real Madrid in the Zidane era. The hosts went three goals behind in the first half, after they allowed Shakhtar to have four shots, all on target.
The ease in which Shakhtar were able to exploit space behind the defenders was very concerning. Zidane's men seemed particularly vulnerable to long balls.
In absence of their captain Sergio Ramos, they seemed to lack a leader to organise their backline. It was clear that the chemistry between Varane and Militao is just not that developed yet.
Marcelo was punished by a much faster and agile Tete on the flanks, while Mendy looked helpless having been forced to play on the right flank. The players only came into action after going behind, as Militao and Marcelo put in a great second half shift to neutralise Shakhtar's threat.
A possible shift to a three-man defence with Mendy as the wing-back on the left and Nacho or Fede Valverde on the right could be one of the solutions for Zidane to bolster his defence in the coming fixtures.
Also See: Twitter explodes as Real Madrid lose 2-3 to Shakhtar Donetsk in dramatic encounter
