The Bernabéu suffers its latest humiliation
What began with the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo without any replacement, ended with a 12th league defeat for a team that was out of the race for any competition long ago. The thing about this Sunday, it was the end. A good Betis, one that occupied the middle of the park, where Carvalho was in complete control, won the game fairly. Keylor, who said his goodbyes leaving the spot free for Luca Zidane to fill in as back-up goalkeeper, prevented Betis from scoring for an hour. At least he said farewell while performing as well as ever. His announced departure is just another ugly reminder of these days that have only served to tarnish the figure of Zidane, previously impeccable.
Bale's final goodbye snub
Everything was bad in Madrid, an ugly affair. Above all, the general passiveness of the side only saw Vinicius and Llorente escape criticism. The crude gesture of Zidane in summoning Bale for the squad but not giving him any game time, even if only for one last goodbye image, instead left him unhappy on the bench. Bale has not shown enough. He arrived for a huge price and without a clear position in the team, a whimsical bet by Florentino, but he has not been a pariah either. He has left some nice memories and deserved that final photo opportunity, and now he is gone or, at least, he knows that is what Zidane has decided.
Madrid fans take their stance
The well attended Madridistas were affronted by the game and made that clear to the players, with the lack of tact that Florentino has made contagious, as they came close to the stands to say their farewells. The anger ran deep, because everyone knows that these are not the fans, but instead a set of fabricated imposters there create the sound of the stadium according to the desires of the moment. But, worst of all, was the erosion of Zidane's image, a manager who has disposed of the same 'eight Golden Ball contenders' that Lopetegui, and then Solari did. Something good that did come out of this game, though, was that it was the end of this period.