Real Madrid, who are threatening with Kylian Mbappé whenever they show up at any stadium, are still not firing on all cylinders despite a dream arsenal, and after the first three games they are already four points behind Barcelona, with a thousand obstacles in the offices and the accounting books. Carlo Ancelotti’s team got into trouble again in Las Palmas after a slow and sluggish first half in which they quickly found themselves behind on the scoreboard against an opponent who played with a clarity that Real Madrid cannot find. They went through the match trailing, trying to impose themselves by insistence due to a lack of ideas, tremendously frustrated, and only found the goal from the penalty spot.
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Jasper Cillessen, Álex Suárez, Marvin Park, Scott McKenna, Mika Mármol, Sandro Ramírez (Viti Rozada, min. 77), Kirian Rodríguez (Manu Fuster, min. 80), Alberto Moleiro (Benito Ramírez, min. 60), Javi Muñoz , José Campaña (Enzo Loiodice, min. 80) and Oliver McBurnie (Jaime Mata, min. 77)
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Thibaut Courtois, Antonio Rüdiger, Lucas Vázquez (Dani Carvajal, min. 75), Ferland Mendy (Fran García, min. 45), Éder Militão, Federico Valverde, Vinícius Júnior (Endrick, min. 85), Luka Modric (Arda Güler, min. 63), Brahim Díaz (Rodrygo, min. 45), Aurélien Tchouaméni and Kylian Mbappé
Goals
1-0 min. 4: Alberto Moleiro. 1-1 min. 68: Vinicius Junior
Referee Matthew Busquets Ferrer
Ferland Mendy (min. 39), Carrión (min. 73), Eder Militao (min. 87)
Madrid seemed to be living in a different moment of the calendar to UD Las Palmas. The Canaries were electric and organized, bold and lucid, while Ancelotti’s team continues to search for a point. Because it is true: with less play, they are not on the same page of the calendar. Two moments at the beginning summed up where each team was situated. Real struck first, with a deep pass from Vinicius to the run of Mbappé, who saw the defense block his shot. It was a repeated frustration, as if they had not yet reached that advantage that gives them the speed to create a few more centimeters of space, as if they had not yet found the clarity to dribble again. The Frenchman arrived in the area, set his leg, shot, tried nine times, but a defender appeared who had deciphered the movement before.
Luis Carrión’s team responded immediately. McBurnie and Moleiro linked up on the left. The Scot read the Canary Islander’s run and sent the ball into a dead zone between the Madrid defenders. Moleiro dribbled past Militão and Tchouameni and beat Courtois with a cross shot. A breath had passed and the gap on the scoreboard underlined the difference in the game.
The Canaries were in a good flow, supported by the foresight of Kirian, Javi Muñoz and Sandro, always in the right place, just out of the reach of Real’s attempts to press. They always looked ahead, even after going 1-0 up. And there they clearly saw McBurnie, a perpetual reference up front. A beacon. He gained time by holding the ball, distributed it judiciously and harassed Rüdiger and Militão. The Scot was the piece that closed the operation of a well-oiled system.
Nothing to do with Madrid’s sluggish play, despite the fact that Modric’s wisdom was on the pitch, taking Güler’s place. Nor did Brahim’s creativity provoke anything, leaving Rodrygo on the bench. When the team got close to the edge of the box, it seized up. It was a mechanism that moved in fits and starts, imprecise and stuck. Not even Vinicius saw the light. The most precise were two long shots, from Valverde and Rüdiger, which Cillessen defused with solvency down low.
Once again, as in the first two games, Madrid’s jam was noticeable. So much so that Ancelotti intervened at half-time: he brought on Rodrygo and Fran García for Brahim and Mendy, who had been booked after being sent off on the first day in frustration at Mallorca.
The movement and the pace of the dressing room stirred up Real, who subjected the Canaries to a barrage of shots: Vinicius, Mbappé, Rodrygo… The revolutions had finally risen and Las Palmas began to sink against their goalkeeper. Push after push. Until in one of the assaults on the area, half confused, Güler caught a bad shot from Vinicius and lifted the ball, which hit the hand of Álex Suárez. The Brazilian converted the penalty, despite the fact that Mbappé was also on the field. The first maximum penalty of the season was for the taker of last season.
Despite the blow, the Canaries did not lose their nerve. They are a brave team, with determination and a plan that works. They had less possession of the ball, but when they were caught, they continued to look forward. Only Courtois’ reflexes stopped Mika Mármol from shooting.
Madrid stepped on the accelerator, but couldn’t find the way. Although Güler, who had come on for Modric, found Mbappé and Endrick, who headed two passes from the Turk wide. But the Canaries had closed up and Real, not very bright, let two more points slip away.
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