There is a reason why Florentino Perez loves the talents from Brazil rather than signing a big star. He signed Eden Hazard and at the same time brought the likes of Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes, and Eder Militao in the den of Royal Whites. While Hazard gave Real Madrid nothing, the youngsters and experienced ones from Brazil have been crucial to Real Madrid’s fightbacks during crucial juncture of the last two seasons.
While a group of fan base and media outlets are busy focusing too much on Hazard and while doing so they completely forget the impact of the Brazilians in Real Madrid. Perez has the eye to spot the young gems and he might have made a mistake by signing Hazard, but compensated it with the Brazilian talents.
In another testing week for Zinedine Zidane and Los Blancos; it was time for two Brazilians – defender Militao and hard-man Casemiro to lift Real Madrid ahead of the do-or-die Champions League semifinal clash at Stamford Bridge.
Zinedine Zidane started off without midfielders Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, opting for Casemiro and youngster Antonio Blanco, while Marco Asensio was there to provide attacking support for Eden Hazard, Vinicius, and Karim Benzema.
Real Madrid had a couple of looks at goal early on, but Osasuna were doing well to keep things in check and even kept Thibaut Courtois on his toes, thanks in part to the play of rising young star Javi Martinez.
Sergio Herrera was pressed into duty in rapid-fire succession, first tipping over the crossbar a bouncing shot from Hazard, followed by a pair of reaction saves on two Militao headers.
Osasuna served up a warning shot right before halftime when Chimy Avila spun a header into the net, but the goal was ruled out correctly due to offside.
After the break, Nacho Fernadez came on for Raphael Varane, who was suffering from a slight injury, followed later by Miguel Gutierrez and Rodrygo for Marcelo and Vinicius respectively.
Rodrygo gave Real Madrid their first good crack at goal in the second half with a hard-hit right-footer that just went wide.
Zidane still needed a goal heading into the final 20 minutes, so Isco was summoned from the bench to replace Hazard – who, yet again, failed to create an impact.
Real Madrid had more authority over the game and pressurized the opponents as the breakthrough came from Militao, who arguably had been the most dangerous player for Los Blancos going forward on the day, as the Brazilian met an Isco corner kick and spun a header into the top right corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.
Osasuna were forced to come out of their defensive shell in search of an equalizer, and it played right into Real Madrid's hands, allowing them to double the lead when Benzema found Casemiro on the break and a quick touch from the Brazilian ended up beating Sergio Herrera.
It was a night where the value of Militao was evident and he is not just satisfied by providing the support at the back in the absence of the big guns, but when the situation demands – the Brazilian can transform into Lucio or Aldair or Marcio Santos and help the team to win.
His goal came through persistence, not by luck. He had already warned Sergio Herrera with two headers in the 26th and 29th minute and a volley that went over in the 56th minute. When there was barely a quarter of an hour left and the pressure beginning to mount, they found an opener that could be worth half a league title as a result of what happens between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.
Militao is becoming the vital cog at the back of Los Balncos and is a player who dares.
Not so long ago, Militao was portrayed as the villain but he never lost hope and Zidane kept the faith in him. At the moment, Militao is loved and wanted by all in the team and he is ready to carry the legacy of Sergio Ramos and obviously, he would add great value to the Selecao as well.
Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 02/05/2021 Eder Militao is becoming the vital cog of Real Madrid defence
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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