Vinicius Jr provided the assists for both the goals Real Madrid scored and deservedly won the man of the match award.
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Real Madrid defeated Atletico Madrid 2-0 in the Madrid derby to strengthen their already commanding position in the La Liga title race. Los Blancos are placed on top of the points table having a 8 point lead over the second placed team, Sevilla. It was Carlo Ancellot’s side’s 10th-straight victory in all competitions. Karim Benzema opened the scoring for the hosts in the first half at Santiago Bernabeu before Marco Asensio doubled the lead in the second to take all three points.
In the post-match press conference, Carlo Ancelotti explained that he is delighted with the way the team is performing.
He said: “I have a squad that allows me to be calm. They manage games very well and they’re committed defensively. It’s a team, with high-quality players. I really like what we’re doing defensively, as we’ve improved the most in this area. We’re not pressing that high, but we like that because with a low block we have more counter-attacking opportunities.”
Real Madrid are currently the favourites to win the title and with their arch rivals Barcelona going through the toughest phase in the club’s history it looks likely that the Los Blancos could go all the way forward without much trouble.
Defending champions Atletico Madrid haven’t been able to replicate their title winning form so far and are struggling to keep pace with the leaders. Diego Simeone’s side are placed fourth in the table with 29 points, 13 behind the leaders. However, Ancelloti doesn’t want to get carried away and is aware of what happened after the record spree in the 2014-15 season.
He stated: “We’re favourites right now, you can say that. But, we’re just focusing on the next matches. A mental drop-off can be costly, so we have to continue. When I was here before, we won 22 matches in a row in the second year, but the second half of the season didn’t go well. I don’t forget that. I’m happy now, but I know there could be slip-ups in the second half of the season. Maybe the previous experience can help me to avoid mistakes this time. We’ll look to be competitive in all the competitions we have.”
Inside the opening 16 minutes, Vinicius Jr set up Benzema for the opener. Asensio played the ball through for Vinicius of the right and the 21-year-old delivered a perfect cut back for the Frenchman to volley the ball past Jan Oblak and into the bottom corner.
In the 57th minute, The Brazilian was involved again as he cut inside from the left and laid the ball to Asensio on the right side of the penalty area. The Spanish midfielder slotted the ball past Oblak with a left-foot, first-time shot into the far bottom corner.
Vinicius had an excellent match for Real Madrid. The Brazilian forward didn’t get on the score sheet but was the man of the match after providing the assists for both goals. He has improved a lot in the final third and Ancelloti dismissed the notion that he is responsible for the youngsters growth. The Italian tactician explained: “I think he’s improving by himself. I don’t have to speak to him much. What I do tell him is to be efficient and not to dribble just for the sake of it. He has to do things to help the team. Today, he didn’t keep dribbling as he couldn’t win the one-on-ones against Marcos Llorente, but he still came up with two assists.”
Another standout performer for Real Madrid was Luka Modric. Despite not scoring or assisting he was sensational in the middle of the park. It was a vintage Modric performance as he marshalled the midfield with ease. The 36-year-old playmaker was precise with his passing and dictated the pace of the game. He received an ovation when substituted off. The 62-year-old manager said: “He had an incredible and spectacular performance, with the ball and without the ball. He showed great personality and was extraordinary.”
