Rodrygo takes advantage of Brahim's misfortune, goes down due to vomiting: "My knee and a tooth hurt, but it turned out well"

Real Madrid is the team with the least goals scored in the First Division and in its Champions group. He has conceded 9 goals in Spain and 3 in Europe, 12 in total. A figure that shows the good moment of their defense, led by an extraordinary start to the season by Carvajal and Rüdiger, and the great performances of their goalkeepers. Kepa, who landed in the white team's nets on matchday three and was injured at the beginning of November, has conceded 8 goals in 13 games; while Lunin, who played in the first two league games and has played in the last three games, has conceded 2 in 5. 0.61 goals per game for the Spanish and 0.4 for the Ukrainian. There could have been a debate, but Carlo Ancelotti was quick to settle it in the Nuevo Mirandilla press room.

«The important thing is that Lunin has been prepared to replace Kepa. “Kepa will return against Granada, and if he is fine, he will play,” said the Italian, ending the discussion.. The Basque goalkeeper, signed on loan until the end of this season, has gained the position over Lunin, who arrived at Madrid in 2018 and has not had continuity. «When you play, you gain rhythm and regain confidence. “It's normal,” the goalkeeper reflected.

In Cádiz, the Ukrainian avoided the local team's tie on several occasions and accumulated 4 saves, even more than Conan Ledesma, leaving a clean sheet for the third time this season, the ninth for a Madrid that once again settled its victory on the feet by Rodrygo and Bellingham.

“My knee and a tooth hurt”

The Brazilian, who was not going to be a starter, seems to have recovered his sense of smell. Ancelotti had made the decision to start him on the bench after his trip with Brazil during the international break, but Brahim's illness forced the coaching staff to change plans.. The Andalusian felt sick to his stomach, with vomiting and dizziness, he was dropped from the starting eleven and did not play for a minute.. «20 minutes before going out to warm up I was calm, I thought I was going to rest because I wasn't very well. My knee and a tooth hurt. But I had to play and everything turned out well,” the forward admitted.

The midfielder's misfortune turned into luck for Rodrygo, who scored two goals, gave Bellingham a 0-3 lead and has accumulated 5 goals and 4 assists in the last three games with Madrid. The former Santos player did not find the net between August 12 and October 24, but Ancelotti's confidence has given him calm. «I wanted to give him a rest after his long trip with Brazil, but Brahim's intestinal problem before the game was bad luck. Rodrygo has once again made the difference. But what has made the difference has been our good game, with attitude, managing the times…”, praised Carletto about his team.

Without Vinicius, Rodrygo was once again the best partner for Bellingham. The Englishman returned after two games without playing due to shoulder discomfort. Given the absences of Camavinga and Tchouaméni, the doctors put a heavy bandage on the area and he played 77 minutes without apparent physical problems. «Jude is fine. “He still has some problems with his shoulder but he feels fine with the protection,” Ancelotti explained.

The British scored 0-3 and now has 11 goals in the League and 3 in the Champions League, 14 in his first 15 games, improving Cristiano's numbers in his initial 15 games with the Madrid shirt. Nobody has scored more in so few games.

The comfort of the result offered Ancelotti the possibility of making his debut for another youth player: Gonzalo García, who had 15 minutes to show himself after scoring more than 30 goals with the youth team last year. «A lot of happiness, I was nervous. The coach told me to go out and enjoy. “There are a lot of kids who dream of this moment,” acknowledged the 19-year-old striker.