UEFA Champions League: Three reasons why Real Madrid beat AS Roma

#2 Julen Lopetegui has made a great team

Struggling to beat Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Super-Copa was something many expected in Julen Lopetegui’s first game out with Real Madrid. But losing 4-2 in extra time, that’s something few critics or even bookmakers could predict. The Europa League winners hustled and harried the Los Blancos, making the most of the few chances they had that day, but as the saying goes, “Time and Tide heals all wounds”

This was his first Champions League match in charge, and it just happened to be against the one Serie A team that managed to produce a sensational comeback against Barcelona. And while Real Madrid fans cheered as the Romans walked on to Santiago Bernabeu, Lopetegui hoped that they would continue doing that for his side and after that performance, his dreams came true. The Los Blancos dominated nearly every blade on that field, letting Roma see very little of the ball and had a swagger about them as they did their business.

Luka Modric and Toni Kroos were passing for fun and cross-field long balls, when needed, were being exchanged between the full-backs. Not only that, a brilliant cocktail of short and tiki-taka style play, combined with Zinedine Zidane’s world-renowned counter-attacking style, and the home side had the Romans struggling to keep up with the pace of the game.

This is how Spain could have maybe played if things had gone slightly differently before the 2018 World Cup had started, and it looks like this is how Real Madrid will try to establish their dominance in a brand new era.