Zidane substitutes Cristiano Ronaldo...
Two defensive lapsus last night which Las Palmas took full advantage of, denied Madrid maximum points as Zidane's men had to settle for a draw which sees them remain on top of the table. Barça who earlier put five past Sporting at El Molinón are now just one point behind the side from the capital. The wound inflicted by Alavés at Camp Nou we can safely say has been all but healed. Madrid one could say were unlucky not to secure a win but paid the price for a lack of focus at the back, this is especially true with the home team's second goal which was the only time in the second period that the Canary Islander's had ventured into the opposing area. When the attack came about there was a feeling that the Real Madrid rear-guard had switched off for the night and it was a case of waving goodbye to two valuable points.
Las Palmas moved the ball about excellently in the first half stringing together short passing moves that on occasion would go astray and this was the case in the opening goal of the game which resulted in some great work on the left flank from Nacho. There was a clear sense of fatigue in the home side as the second period wore on and Madrid took control of the game, securing the lead and it felt at the time that they had put the contest beyond doubt. Credit to the home side for not giving up and when the secured their equalizer there was no Cristiano on the pitch. The Portuguese striker being substituted by Zinedine Zidane in the 72nd minute. The player from Madeira was clearly annoyed with the decision despite shaking hands with the French coach (although not looking at him in the face when doing so). The player simply wasn't having a good night.
Madrid have started the season well but since the epic late win Sporting have stuttered a little dropping points in two consecutive drawn games. They really need Cristiano on his game and at present the No. 7 is a shadow of his former self. Yesterday he played a role in the second goal and that's it, the striker clearly is not at full fitness. Zidane, however defended his player in the post match press conference and explained that he made the change thinking ahead of Tuesday's game in Dortmund. We really need to see Cristiano back to his lightning best.
