and we find ourselves at one of the most
iconic venues in world football the santiago bernabeu here on the spanish capital madrid
my name is derek ray and with me as my commentary partner lee dixon and the focus is on one of the
finest leagues in world football la liga it's real madrid and they face viola yeah thanks derek i'm
just hoping we get a nice quick tempo from the start of this game both teams do like to get
forward both positive in their approach in the game so we should be in for some entertainment
who's played at such a high level in an attacking sense for so long what do you anticipate seeing
from him well yeah when defenders look who they're playing against they always look at the goals
two goals in his last previous game he's certainly a threat to them today
and so the match is underway
and here's the starting eleven for real madrid
tebow courtois begins in goal tony cross plays with casimiro in the center of the pitch
and operating through the middle and attack today karim benzema
in central midfield and gerard mourinho starts with paco
inside the box casimiro just knocking it around looking to carve out a chance
benzema oh a save right out of the top drawer super
stock and he's fired over the corner
promising sequence well played in from the flag but not to any great
effect aware of the threat solving the problem
kareem benzema on the ball audrey ozola modric
tony cause
they really look after the ball when they have it casimiro in possession
not a poor touch and unable to keep it in play throw in to come
mano triguerros oh a perfectly timed pass can he take the chance
oh keeper dealt with it perhaps an opportunity here for real madrid to take the lead corner
over it comes well the keeper very decisive
mano triguerros showing a real desire to win it back
an attack full of promise oh him with a chance and he stumped it out of there without much fuss
on the passing front it could be up for grabs really a very poor ball are they
going to forge ahead oh goodness me he set the post what a high quality stop it was
well look at the speed he sets himself derrick he gets ready and makes a really good save
well that was the chance to take the lead and the manager's frustration is there
for all to see only failed to get it away properly
let's come off the keeper
getting benzema in the thick of things able to get his body in the way
not an awful lot wrong with that free kick but just
wide when you set up for a free kick you have to hit the target he wasn't far off but it was a miss
bad pass well real madrid possession stats over the last 15 minutes has been dominating
can they keep that pressure on and get the goal their play deserves
they just need to be a little bit more clinical
and space for the cross
well no way through benzema and the counter attackers on options available
well it petered out and we will have just one additional minute
and the first half is in the history books here at the bernabeu
well we often place the focus of attention on kareem benzema
might he be a bit disappointed so far lee well it's not been a great first half of
football as far as he's concerned he seemed a little bit sluggish to me
has anticipated plenty of talking points so far and now the second half is underway
on to benzema casimiro
keeping it moving dynamically
and he takes it on oh yes one nail as is and it doesn't come as a huge surprise
well here's the replay and in many ways it doesn't do it justice outpatiently we're in
the build-up and then the sheer power of the strike really impressive it's a thunderbolt
a chance to revisit the goal well he's got to be delighted with his players a big smile on his face
they've got the noses in front they're in the lead well done so underway again with real madrid in
france
it's with vinicius junior
of course and they keep the ball moving casimiro this is course no-nonsense clearance
and 30 minutes left for play in this match
is it going to end up being productive for them pressure exerted but he keeps the ball
now
real madrid
and space for them here on the flank
and benzema in the middle dropped by raul albion
mario gaspar
and on the second half the signs are positive they can't relax lee but they ought to be pleased well
with a narrow lead and the clock ticking away it's so easy for the rail players to lose concentration
asking the referee how long to go looking over at the bench staying focused is a skill
moreno
well it was a menacing attack but tidied up
andre ozola only 10 minutes remaining here this is looking threatening
the substitution
if they can score again from this corner it probably would be the end of the
story he knew he had to get to the ball and he did
danger aversing
now parejo not to be advised giving the ball away there
well they are committed to making the substitution here
well the real madrid fans are certainly having a big say in this game so far
just listen to the noise they're making urging their team forward
and the real corner hungry for more and fired over by course can he put it away
mario gaspar and the referee says that will do it it's the end of the game and it's a victory
for real madrid her fans are going to be happy with this well derek either side could have won
that that's how tight it was that will feel like six points not three well this man has given us
plenty of reasons to dwell on his performance this evening he's always a man to watch for the
opposition but they couldn't keep tabs on him in that vital moment when he grabbed that goal
you