Zinedine Zidane equalled Carlo Ancelotti’s unbeaten streak for Real Madrid at 31 games after his side overcame Sporting Gijon by two goals to one last night. Zidane, the player, broke a considerable number of records and now he is doing the same as a manager.
Los Blancos’ narrow 2-1 win over Sporting Gijon last night took Zidane to 31 games unbeaten as Real Madrid boss as he seeks to win his first La Liga title with the club after lifting the Champions League trophy already last season.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s two goals – One from the penalty spot and the other a diving header, got Real the three points they needed to extend their lead at the top on a rainy evening at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Also read: SK Stat Attack: Ronaldo makes La Liga history as Real Madrid extend their unbeaten run against Gijon
Real Madrid’s last defeat was a 2-0 loss to Wolfsburg in April last season and they have gone on this massive unbeaten streak since then.
Under Ancelotti, with Zidane as assistant manager, Real Madrid won 26 games and drew 5 during the 2013-14 campaign scoring 87 and conceding only 20, a run which ended with a defeat to rivals Barcelona in the El Clasico.
With the Frenchman at the helm, Los Blancos have now notched up 23 victories and 8 draws, scoring an almost similar 86 goals and conceding 28.
This time around, Real Madrid host third division club La Cultural Leonesa, at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Copa Del Rey round of 32 on Wednesday night and will look to extend this run further and perhaps beat Ancelotti’s record.
Closing in on Enrique’s record
However, their next La Liga game is the El Clasico against Barcelona and Zidane will be looking to get one up on his rivals as well. The Clasico could prove to be a pivotal game in this season’s La Liga title race and Barcelona will look to gain some ground over leaders Real.
The Real Madrid club record for most games unbeaten is 34, which was set by then manager Leo Beenhakker during the 1988-89 season while the La Liga record for most games unbeaten is 39, held by current Barcelona boss Luis Enrique, who set it during the 2015-16 campaign.
The European record for most games unbeaten is 43, held by Antonio Conte, who set it while he managed Juventus during the 2011-12 season.
Tough run of fixtures
Should Real Madrid beat Cultural Leonesa in the Copa Del Rey and Barcelona in the Clasico they would then face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League and after that Deportivo La Coruna at the Bernabeu in the La Liga.
With such a tight run up of fixtures, it remains to be seen whether Zidane can mastermind an unbeaten streak through it all, in what would be one of the toughest tests of his managerial career.
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