What’s the story?
Real Madrid will be sweating over their captain Sergio Ramos’s latest injury after he was withdrawn during their 3-1 win over Napoli in the first leg of the Champions League clash on Wednesday, according to the Spanish newspaper AS.
The Spain international was involved in an incident in the 1st minute with his former teammate José Callejón. Ramos struggled to restrict Italian international Lorenzo Insigne from finding the back of the net which gave Napoli an early lead.
Also Read: Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos says he is happy to see Barcelona lose
Despite picking up an injury, he continued on the pitch, but was replaced by Pepe with 20 minutes to go.
In case you didn’t know...
Real Madrid came from behind to complete a 3-1 win over Napoli in the first leg of the Champions League clash at Santiago Bernabéu. Karim Benzema’s 18th-minute goal cancelled Insigne’s 8th-minute strike before Toni Kroos and Casemiro’s second half goal helped the reigning champions seal a victory.
Kroos’ goal was assisted by former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo, who registered his fifth assist in the Champions League this term. It was the Portuguese international’s personal best in the competition.
Ramos has missed 10 games in 2016 due to injuries, while only one of them came during the second half of the season. He suffered a knee injury in September and returned to action on 18 November, during which he missed eight matches. He also suffered a muscular injury that kept him out of action for less than a month between December and January.
The heart of the matter
The report from AS claims that it could have been a precautionary measure from Real manager Zinedine Zidane to take Ramos off the pitch. The central defender looked in no pain when he left the pitch due to the knock on his right knee. Pepe, who returned from the sidelines took his place in the heart of the back four.
Also Read: UEFA Champions League 2016/17: Real Madrid 3-1 Napoli, 5 Talking Points
The Madrid captain suffered a knee injury earlier in that season, that kept him out of action for close to two months and miss eight fixtures in the process, during which Real won seven of them and drew against Eibar in the league.
Meanwhile, Zidane has played down any worries after confirming Ramos’ injury is not serious. This will come as a welcome boost for both Real and their supporters.
What’s next?
Zidane and Real will be hoping their captain’s injury is not serious and he could be available for selection when they face Espanyol in the La Liga clash later this weekend. They have a relatively easier fixture list in the next few matches and should Ramos be out of action, the Frenchman will field Pepe and Raphael Varane as his central defenders.
Sportskeeda’s take
If Ramos’s injury is a serious one, it could affect Real Madrid’s quest for trophies in the business end of the season. The Spaniard has been vital for the reigning European champions at the back and has also contributed offensively. Pepe is nowhere near the quality of the Madrid captain and in key European fixtures, the Portuguese defender’s quality could be found out.
