Keylor and Casilla batten down the hatches for Real Madrid
For the first time in half a season, Real Madrid have managed to string together two consecutive clean sheets - against Atletico Madrid and Granada.
In May, just as the season is reaching its critical stage, Real Madrid have finally managed to string together two games in which they haven't conceded a goal - something they have not been able to do since the start of the New Year, against Sevilla in the Copa del Rey and Granada in LaLiga. In other words, for half a season.
Madrid have been having no trouble at the other end of the pitch - they have scored for 60 straight games in a row; but Zidane's team have been plagued by injuries in defence and that might be partly to blame for the team's failure to keep out their rivals.
Keylor back hitting form
He has already had his card marked by club directors and the fans, but Keylor is back at his best form and saving the team just when they need him. After going 15 games conceding - including a handful of gaffes against the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Alavés, Legia Warsaw, Napoli and Betis, he was unbeatable in the crucial home leg of the Champions League semi-final against Atlético, denying Gameiro early in the game. His slow but steady resurrection actually began against Barça - possibly his best performance of the season so far. Against Valencia, there was little he could have done to have stopped Dani Parejo's precision free-kick flying inside the top corner in Week 35.
Kiko Casilla, patience and reliability
Kiko Casilla's case is slightly different; standing a colossal 191 centimetres tall, it's not very often that the Spanish keeper is caught out when he is called into the side. He quietly goes about his job when he features in the starting line-up, and doesn't complain when he returns to being second choice - even when a sizeable section of the fans would like to see him as the team's regular No.1.
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