RUDIGER THE HERO AS MADRID SNEAK WIN TO KEEP PRESSURE ON GIRONA
They were not convincing in the slightest, but nor will they care, as Real Madrid eked past Mallorca 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu to keep their noses in front of Girona in the La Liga title race.
A 79th-minute header from Antonio Rudiger – his first La Liga goal since scoring against the same opposition in April – was just about enough to hand Real all three points on an evening where they didn’t really deserve them.
Neither side looked particularly potent in front of goal in a drab affair, and surprisingly, it was the visitors who came closest to breaking the deadlock, twice rattling the woodwork of Andriy Lunin’s goal.
For all their dominance in possession, Madrid looked disjointed for the most part, with passes into the final third going awry, and their strikers, so often prolific and relentless in the final third, missed the chances that came their way.
The hosts’ first real sighting of goal was from the head of Jude Bellingham, as the Englishman’s flicked header needed a save from Pedrag Rajkovic, before Vinicius Junior, returning from a seven-game injury lay-off, spurned two chances in 11 minutes, dragging two efforts wide of the target as he displayed his rustiness.
Rajkovic was called into action for the first time by a thunderous Vincius effort from the edge of the area, with the Serbian goalkeeper equal to a strike that seemed destined for the top corner, but the scoreline remained even as half time drew nearer.
On 41 minutes, Federico Valverde lashed a shot wide of the near post as he burst into the penalty area, before a minute later, Antonio Sanchez won the most unlikely of headers at the far post, meeting a Dani Rodriguez stand-up, and seeing his effort cannon back off the underside of the crossbar.
Nine minutes after the restart, Mallorca had hit the frame of the goal again, as Samu’s speculative hit from range rattled the foot of the post.
With 69 minutes on the watch, it was Madrid’s turn to hit the woodwork, as substitute Joselu laid one off for Valverde to find Rodrygo down the left. The Brazilian opened his body up to curl one towards the far corner, cuing a diving save from Rajkovic. Brahim Diaz, the other Madrid substitute, got his head to the rebound, but could only watch on as the ball hit the inside of the post and bounced along the goal-line before being hacked to safety.
But cometh the hour (well, the 79th minute), and cometh the man. Rudiger, to be exact. The German leapt imperiously above the rest to guide Luka Modric’s inswinging corner into the far corner to leave Rajkovic rooted to the spot, and sink a dagger into the hearts of Javier Aguirre and his valiant visitors.
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
