Reigning champions Real Madrid traveled to the Gran Canaria Stadium for their La Liga Matchday 3 clash with Las Palmas on Thursday night, August 29. With Barcelona making it three in three with a comeback win at Rayo Vallecano, Madrid needed to produce a positive result to keep the gap in check. Coach Carlo Ancelotti fielded a strong XI to get the job done away from home, but the team simply did not click. It ended 1-1 in Las Palmas, leaving Madrid in fifth place in the La Liga rankings and four points adrift of league leaders Barcelona.
Another Subdued Display From Star-Studded Real Madrid
Except for Jude Bellingham, who is recovering from a hamstring problem, all of Real Madrid’s high-profile forwards were available for selection on Thursday. Ancelotti slightly tweaked his setup for the game, dropping Rodrygo and Arda Guler to the bench and giving Brahim Diaz and Luka Modric the nod. As has been the trend in La Liga this term, Los Blancos had a rather slow start to the game. However, unlike Mallorca and Real Valladolid, Las Palmas had the quality to land a smashing blow.
Just five minutes into the game, Oliver McBurnie penetrated the final third from the inside-left channel. Despite being under pressure from Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger, McBurnie retained possession before slipping it through for Alberto Moreno. Moreno got to the ball ahead of Aurelien Tchouameni, tip-toed past Militao, and found the right side of Thibaut Courtois’ goal with a thumping strike.
Real Madrid came close to scoring the equalizer in the 25th minute, thanks to a well-worked set-piece routine. Valverde played a short pass from a free-kick to Modric, who held the ball for the Uruguayan to strike. Valverde hit it low and true, but the goalkeeper lunged to his left to make a stunning save. Four minutes later, Kylian Mbappe tried his luck from range, but a deflection allowed the goalkeeper to collect the ball. Mbappe and Rodrygo lodged consecutive efforts in the 52nd and 54th minutes, but those were very easy for the defense to deal with.
Arda Guler Changed The Game At Las Palmas
Ancelotti brought Guler on for Modric in the 64th minute, and just five minutes later, Real Madrid had their breakthrough. The Turkish teen forced a handball inside the Las Palmas box in the 67th minute, winning Real Madrid a penalty. Vinicius Jr. stepped up to take the spot kick and found the right side of the Las Palmas goal with a thumping strike. In the 76th minute, Guler delivered a fine free-kick into the box, where Vinicius Jr. was lurking. The Brazilian, however, could not connect with the ball as well as he would have liked and sent it straight to the goalkeeper.
Guler delivered another gem of a cross into the area in the 90+3′ minute. Teen striker Endrick got on the end of it but could not keep it on target. Guler finished the game with three chances and three big chances created. He also played three passes into the final third and made two recoveries.
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