Author: Amrit Santlan
Another Champions League night, another dazzling display from Real Madrid’s attacking duo, Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian provided two assists and scored, with Benzema and Marco Asensio putting their names on the scoresheet.
Vinicius was the driving force behind Real Madrid’s attack once again, leading his team whenever he had the chance to venture forward and the youngster earned praise after his brilliant performance against Reece James. Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand praised the Real Madrid player after he gave James a nightmare on the left wing as the La Liga giants took a healthy lead in the Champions League quarter-final.
In the first ten minutes of the match, Fofana received a yellow card for a clumsy foul on Vinicius Jr., who tormented the two defenders for much of the night with his running and dribbling.
“Vinicius Junior showed no respect for Reece James tonight. Whenever Vini had the ball, he went straight to James. He will do the same at Stamford Bridge. He and Rodrygo play open and tall” Ferdinand told BT Sport.
In fact, it was Vininicus who was the chief architect of most of Real Madrid’s attacks, wreaking havoc on their flank, he played an important role in breaking the deadlock. The 22-year-old cleverly met a pass from Dani Carvajal and tried to flick the ball away from Kepa Arrizabalaga, however, the goalkeeper put the rebound at Benzema’s feet, and the ‘Ballon d’Or’ winner smashed into an empty net to put the La Liga giants ahead.
The first goal came just before the half-hour mark and Real Madrid continued to press for a second, but it ended 1-0 at half-time.
Carlo Ancelotti brought freshness, Marco Asensio got his name on the scoresheet a few minutes after coming on, and after a corner from the home side, Vinicius once again made a name for himself, delivering a sublime pass to Asensio who finished calmly from the edge of the box to double his side’s lead.
Although James is often considered one of the best young right-backs in the world, he himself has often been linked with the Bernabéu and the Englishman even named Vinicius as one of the three best players he has faced in his career.
“The three most difficult players I’ve ever faced are all left-wingers! Vinicius Jr, Leão and Mané!” Reece James tweeted.
Alongside Ferdinand, Chelsea legend Joe Cole was also doing analysis with BT Sport and the latter feels that, despite Real Madrid’s dominance, the game is far from over.
“It’s not over yet. It was a difficult night, and the moments were for Real, they are the champions and an exceptional team“said Cole.
The second leg will be played at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, April 19, when Lampard will have to find a way to silence the Brazilian threat to keep his team in the competition.