 |
| Credit: twitter/ChampionsLeague |
The UEFA Champions League winner, Real Madrid and the EUFA
Europa League winners battled out in the heat of Skopje for the bragging right
as Europe’s champions of champions. Zidane’s charges ended the night with
another silverware. Here are the five major talking points from the encounter.
Huge gap between Real Madrid and Manchester United: these
two clubs are arguably the most prestigious teams in their respective
countries, both in rich history and major sporting honours. However, the night
in Macedonia is a good demonstration of the enormous gap currently between Real
and United. United’s players were playing catch up in the entire first half, by
the time they woke up, the game was almost dead.
Matic a major coup: one United player who came out of the
encounter with his head held up high is Nemanja Matic. The Serb put in a
commanding performance at the heart of midfield against Madrid’s world class
performers in Isco, Modric, Kroos, Casemiro, even though he has been with the
squad for barely a week. Why Chelsea let him go remains a puzzle to be solved.
Masterful Isco is back: disco Isco is how social media calls
him these days, and it is easy to see why. His composure in possession, sleek
touches, jaw dropping skills, exquisite movement are all a sight to behold. The
Spanish midfielder was at his typical best, as he tormented United’s defence
all night long. He capped off his brilliant display with a sweet finish.
Business as usual for Zidane: within a period of 18months in
the job as a coach, the French icon has moulded himself into one of the most
feared managers in the game. After taking over from Rafael Benitez, Zidane has
swept every major trophy on offer. He made history by being the first manager
to lead a team win the ULC back-to-back in its current format, an achievement
he complemented with a la liga trophy for the Los Blancos in 5 years. And now,
he has added a second Super Cup to his trophy cabinet. Zidane is a serial
winner.
United’s
finishing headache continues: one situation that
United fans have come to dread so much is the sight of seeing their side in a
dangerous situation, and failing to punish their opponents. Twice in the first
half, poor decision making in the final third cost Mourinho’s side. Pogba had
the chance to pick either one of two dangerous passes, yet he opted to go solo.
Also, instead of Lukaku running into the box for a tap in, he decided to give
the advantage to the Blancos by interfering with play from an offside position
when an interception on Kroos fell nicely in Herrera’s path. In the second
half, both Rashford and Lukaku missed glorious chances.
No comments:
Post a Comment