Another disappointing draw against Leganés meant that the pressure was on for Zinedine Zidane to secure a positive result as Real Madrid returned to home turf to face Athletic Club in La Liga.
After a narrow and hardfought first half, Karim Benzema sprung into action to break the deadlock early in the second half for Real Madrid. He went on to score a hat-trick, sealing it off with a delicate chip over the onrushing Athletic Club goalkeeper Iago Herrerín, having converted two headers before that.
Our tactical analysis will use statistics to identify what key points Zidane can take from the game as his team returned to winning ways on home turf.
Lineups
Zidane stuck with his favoured 4-3-3 shape as usual, but did make some rotations. With Sergio Ramos still unavailable, he opted for Jesús Vallejo in central defence for the first time since the coach returned to the club, in favour of Nacho. Marco Asensio and Lucas Vázquez were also given the nod in attack, ahead of Gareth Bale.
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