Madrid's part in Berlin: 42 million, 3 missed penalties and a yellow that puts Bellingham in danger

2,800,000 euros. That, which is what UEFA gives for each victory in the group stage, is what Real Madrid was playing for at the Berlin Olympic Stadium.. That, its prestige in Europe and the full, the third in its history, in the first phase of the Champions League. Perhaps for this reason, and to keep his spine in a competitive rhythm, Carlo Ancelotti did not rotate Bellingham or Rodrygo, the beginning and end of his attack right now.. Both, young people with the physique to play everything, were starters in Berlin while their teammates suffered from the coach's rotations. Rüdiger, Mendy, Kroos and Brahim stayed on the bench thinking about Sunday's duel against Villarreal.

But the match, far from being of no use at the qualifying level, left certain dangers and concerns for the white team.. The first, that Bellingham received his second yellow card in the Champions League this season and is one away from suspension.. Entering the round of 16 and knowing that the cards are not 'cleared' until the end of the quarterfinals, that is perhaps the worst news for Madrid after their time in Berlin. One more warning and the British star will miss one of the key matches of the qualifying rounds, a situation that Camavinga is also experiencing.

That's the danger. The concern came after Modric's error from the eleven meters. The Croatian was in charge of taking the penalty that could have put Madrid ahead, but Rönnow stopped his shot, too centered, to avoid the 1-0 lead.. The whites' problem from the penalty spot is real: they have missed the three maximum penalties they have had this season. Rodrygo failed in Vigo, Joselu failed against Osasuna and Modric failed. Even in preseason, Vinicius missed a penalty against Barcelona. 4 of 4. A disturbing fact that also spread to the Champions League, where Madrid had not missed a penalty since 2014 (Cristiano against Ludogorets).

Modric's error, almost close to half-time, also led to a chain of errors that ended in Union Berlin's 1-0 lead.. In the next play, Rönnow took a shot on goal, Nacho failed to head it, Alaba cleared it back, Lucas lost the melee with Volland and Kepa, the starter, was unable to stop the striker's shot.

During the locker room, Ancelotti left Valverde sitting and took Kroos out, in a change that seemed decided before the game. 45 minutes for each one thinking about the next game, where they will once again be starters while waiting for Tchouaméni. “2 minutes of madness complicated everything for us,” Ancelotti admitted.

Joselu and Ceballos, the goals

The second half left a recital of a header by Joselu, who had scored one goal in the last ten games and scored two in Berlin, turning the score around.. He has 10 goals this season, 5 in the League, 3 in the Champions League and 2 with Spain. “Fortunately in the second we tried to be more effective, betting on the centers, since we have a very good forward with a header and, thus, he scored two goals. In the first half we tried too much to enter inside and there were no spaces. Having Joselu We had to follow that path, the centers,” explained the Italian coach.

A necessary finisher in a Madrid without a classic '9' and the MVP of the 2.8 million match. Ceballos, who had not seen a goal since January, decided with 2-3. “Ceballos… his goal is deserved, because it was difficult for him to recover, to come back. He didn't have a good time,” Ancelotti confessed.

Full session for Madrid, the third in its history in the Champions League, equaling Bayern, and money in the pocket: 15.6 million for playing the group stage, 16.8 for the 6 victories and 9.6 for reaching the round of 16. In total, 42 million for the white coffers.