It was the end of an era, albeit a short one at just 133 days, as Real Madrid ran out victors over Real Valladolid on Sunday evening in what would prove to be Santiago Solari‘s final game in charge, up against the same opposition that he had made his La Liga debut against.
His side suffered some early scares, with two Valladolid strikes ruled out by VAR whilst Ruben Alcaraz also sent a penalty into row Z early on. Anuar deservedly opened the scoring for the hosts just before the break, but it lasted just five minutes before Raphael Varane found an equaliser.
A second half brace from Karim Benzema, including one from the penalty spot, and a late finish from Luka Modric sealed the three points. There was an added twist late on, as Casemiro saw red for the first time as a Real Madrid player, picking up a foolish second booking for time wasting.
Now in charge, Zinedine Zidane will have been watching to see what needs to be changed. Our tactical analysis will use statistics to identify what key points Real Madrid’snew boss can take from the game.
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