it's very much a temple of football the santiago bentley bay right here on the spanish capital
madrid i'm derek ray and joining me for commentary is the former arsenal defender lee dixon and this
is where it all starts in the uefa champions league the group stage and match day one
my goodness so much to look forward to it's real madrid up against iax well
thank you derek we're being big favorites complacency can be a problem you've got to
use that to your advantage if you're playing a home side as expected to go through can they
put the pressure on in the first 20 minutes and hold out and then try nick the game in the second
half
is
now let's dissect the real madrid side tebow courtois is the keeper of choice
david alaba plays alongside sergio ramos in central defense tony cross plays with
casemiro in the center of the pitch and leading the line today is kareem benzema
here's the starting lineup for ayax
this particular setup is becoming more and more in favor yes derek one central striker
two wingers will provide the width a very narrow three in midfield a back four the two
full backs will be expected to support but also defend and help out the centre-backs
casimiro mandy has it
delivered into the box and the goal kick will be next i almost think lee with tony cross we're
talking about a player who's brimming with class what are you looking for from the german here
well the more you give this like the ball the better the team normally plays he switches the
ball he links play from left to right up and down the pitch he keeps possession a brilliant player
edson alvarez
alvarez now brian grafenberg
it's with martinez very good reading of the game to win possession back
sebastian excellent use of the ball as they make their way forward
keeping it moving dynamically classen alvarez now grafenberg
so now a corner over and comes but the keeper takes command
and space for them here on the flank
how about the cross just couldn't get it through oh tight offside decision but the flag does go up
casemiro mandy has it
failure to keep the ball on the part of real
headson alvarez
alvarez classen good vision can he get onto this
now will they be able to play it in behind the defense
and whipped into the box and caught with ease no real threat from the cross
modric
oh that pass easy on the eye a master of keeping his composure it's opened up for him and a goal
and now they can celebrate well as we can see again here he knows exactly what he's
doing and kids all the defenders with the comeback and a 2v1 is never fair
to be honest with you the keeper's got no chance to stop this it's lovely football
the opening goal of the game then
edson alvarez
lisandro martinez
the visitors possession stats are brilliant but it's just whether they can convert that possession
into clear-cut chances you sense they need to pick up the pace a little start utilizing the
wide areas more the back line is doing a decent job hopefully the forwards can do that as well
modric
another successful intervention running the ball back
oh lovely ball space afforded him he's had to go for it when's the ball
the referee has decided there will be just one minute of added time
and they continue to advance and a lot of options here and a fine stop
corners are real as they try to press home their advantage and fired over by course
has eyes for goal and still an opportunity
and the first half is in the history books here at the bernabeu
he's been the standout for his side so far don't you think lee well derek you're right
he has played well and goals win games he's been a joy to watch in this form
and so the second half of this champions league group stage match day one contest commences
tony claus is with vinicius junior
mandy ramos
david alaba the ball with lucas vazquez
casimiro mandy
venezios jr perfectly fair tackle and it will be a corner
over it comes well he couldn't pick out a teammate inside the box
chance to finish and thwarting his opponents in the nick of time
well that could be his final rebuke i think and the referees making that absolutely clear well i
like that derrick good referee nice and strong told the player exactly what he was thinking
and a goal he was camposia personified and he's done his job from the spot
well here it is again and i can tell you what i'm not sure i've never seen a penalty converted like
this before what is the keeper doing he has to do better he's basically right at him so poor
well enjoy the good days as a coach it could be a roller coaster ride i can tell you that
it's going their way to nail
ramos
and all of their team are enjoying this performance that's why they're winning
and that's why they're one of the best teams
of course splendor tackle and a throw in coming up and time for the change now
tony course
and they deal with the threat this time
and overcomes the corner well the danger is still there
another successful intervention winning the ball back
tagliafico
tadic paul with nicolas tagliafico
well they keep passing away
tagliafico alvarez now klassen and a good-looking pass
opportunity to deliver the cross
classen
under pressure doesn't seem to be bothering him at least given a corner they refereed
and firing it into the area
oh goodness me he set the post
and they've won possession back what can they do from here able to close down the shot
and it will be a free kick to real madrid he's been admonished by the referee he's now got to
walk something of a tightrope yeah he knows exactly where he stands look at the referee
how he's told him off there no yellow card but certainly knows what the referee is thinking
vinicius junior the ball with lucas vasquez
mehndi cluttered away
andrea's creative tendencies coming to the fore tackling and winning the ball to boot
slip short passing
inside the final five minutes now
davids alvarez now
alvarez
it's with david and the electronic board delivers the news two minutes of stoppage time
edson alvarez
kudus so full time it is and the morale boosting three points on the board to begin the european
campaign yeah really really strong start that's what you need but with five games
to go very important you stay in the now one game at a time derek bit of a cliche
while this man has given us plenty of reasons to dwell on his performance this evening lee
well a really good performance from the lad today he was pretty much
involved in everything and he never really looked like missing his penalty did he