Madrid wins with pick and shovel in the Braga quarry

Located in the ruins of an old granite quarry, the Municipal de Braga is a fusion between the stone of the mountain and the concrete of the work built for Euro 2004. «It is difficult to distinguish where the stone ends and where the concrete begins. One supports the other,” says its architect. And Madrid was stone and concrete. He punished the back of a Sporting team as brave as it was innocent with a stellar Vinicius in the goals from Rodrygo and Bellingham. [Narrative and statistics (1-2)]

Ancelotti does not understand this Madrid without rotations and shook his tree again. He sat Alaba, Mendy, Tchouaméni and Kroos, and was also going to rest Rodrygo, but Joselu found himself unwell during the afternoon. The Italian introduced Nacho, Fran, Camavinga and Modric, all substitutes in the Pizjuán. He didn't change his idea of the game. Four midfielders, the will to pressure the opponent's ball out and to look for the back of the defense in attack at the slightest opportunity. And he got it.

Sporting, a brave team with a desire to bite, was perhaps too innocent in its bravery. Artur Jorge, his coach, placed his four defenders in a high position to try to avoid playing between the lines of the midfield and the Real Madrid forward, but he offered space behind him, where Vinicius became a giant, exploiting what he does best.. Run and be vertical.

Rodrygo's goal

After a first quarter of an hour of a certain tense calm, with Braga dominating possession and Madrid being imprecise in their combinations, Nacho found Vinicius behind one of the central defenders.. The Brazilian beat Saatci, held him off, dribbled towards the baseline and found a perfect pass to Rodrygo, who attacked the small area. Niakate arrived first, but the Brazilian caught the rebound to score for the first time since August 12. End to a streak that worried the attacker and gave Valdebebas a headache.

The goal gave peace of mind to a Madrid that began to visualize Saturday's classic in its head. Ancelotti tried a defensive plan of two lines of four, with Bellingham lying on the left, perhaps thinking about the necessary defensive help for Cancelo's starts.. The Englishman shone and emptied himself, always generous in his efforts towards his own goal.

Braga threatened Kepa's goal with lateral crosses, Merengue's greatest weakness, but it barely bothered a Madrid team well planted on the granite quarry.. The whites took possession and played several rounds until they found spaces behind them.. Rodrygo could have scored another one, but his goal was annulled by the referee due to offside by Vinicius at the start.. The former Flamengo player was the best in the first half and was about to score after a good pass from Bellingham. He found the top of the area and looked for Matheus' left post, but he flew to avoid the 0-2. Vini, again, repeated the opportunity by surprising with a run after Carvajal's throw-in, but he failed to send the ball into the net.

The nerves at the end

After the break, Madrid took absolute control of the match. He bored the local fans, silent during eternal possessions, and found gold in the player of the moment: Bellingham. The British warned first with a volley that sent Matheus flying and scored the second of the night by completing a trademark counterattack.. Valverde found Rodrygo in the gap, who accelerated until he had an easy horizontal pass to Vini. It went long, but the '7' restarted the play and assisted Bellingham, who with a soft shot, with the inside, touched the goalkeeper's lower left net.

The goal, which seemed like the sentence, put Madrid to sleep and was a pinch for the locals. In the next play, Djalo appeared behind Fran García and made it 1-2 with his team's first shot on goal in the entire match. Ancelotti couldn't believe it. There began a few minutes of Madrid's agony, with Braga overturned. Kepa saved the tie against Horta and Abel Ruiz had the equalizer in the last breath while Madrid forgave the third.

Nine points in three Champions League games and Bellingham's discomfort as the only concern before Saturday's classic.