That's it for today. Thanks for tuning in!
MATCH REPORT |
After a dominant first half, host Real Madrid clearly slowed down in the final 45 minutes. Toni Kroos, Sergio Ramos and Marcelo were on the score sheet in the first half.
Pedro Bigas pulled one back for Eibar in the second half. Pedro Leon should have scored at least one for the visitor as well. However, Real Madrid held on towards the end to claim a 3-1 victory.
It now moves to 59 points from 28 games, just two behind leader FC Barcelona which has played the same number of matches. Eibar, on the other hand, stays 16th with 27 points from 28 outings.
AND IT'S FULL-TIME!!!
90+4' YELLOW CARD! Sebastian Cristoforo goes into the referee's book for his blatant foul on Vinicius Junior. Real Madrid moves forward for one last attack. Pedro Leon dispossesses Casemiro, skips past him but he can't keep the ball in play.
90' Four minutes of stoppage time to be added on at the end of the first half! GOOD CHANCE! Gareth Bale is disappointed with himself because he got into a good area but produced a poor cross. Benzema doesn't look happy.
86' FINAL CHANGES FOR BOTH SIDES!! Luka Modric is replaced by Federico Valverde for the host, while Anaitz Arbilla makes way for Esteban Burgos for the visitor. Four minutes of regulation time to go!
82' YELLOW CARD!!! Eibar manager Jose Mendiliba receives a card for arguing with the fourth official. Exposito was tackled just moments ago. Eibar moves forward through Takashi Inui. But Thibaut Courtois comes forward to intercept Inui.
78' SUBSTITUTION!! Pablo De Blasis will be replaced by Takashi Inui. Eibar has one more change left in this match. Real Madrid and Eibar have attempted the same number of shots on goal and taken the same number of free-kicks so far.
74' FREE-KICK FOR EIBAR! Another harsh Casemiro tackle. And he gets away without a card again. It seemed like Pedro Leon was going to take a quick free kick, but instead he is going to send the ball inside the penalty box for his teammates. Sergio Alvarez reacts well and displays good awareness near the penalty spot to get on the end of the cross but his finish is a bit poor.
69' GREAT CHANCE! Pedro Leon has a great opportunity inside the six-yard box, shoots to the middle of the goal, but Thibaut Courtois pulls off an exquisite save to deny him. That should have been a goal. All clear-cut chances created in the second half have gone Eibar's way.
66' Marcelo is clearly asking for some medical attention with his painful gestures. The extent of his injury is yet to be discovered. The Brazilian hasn't suffered any serious injury which would see him leave the pitch. He's back in the game now for Real Madrid.
61' SUBSTITUTIONS!! Gareth Bale, Vinicius Junior and Eder Militao replace Rodrygo, Eden Hazard and Sergio Ramos in the middle for Real Madrid. Surprising triple-change from Zidane. Marcelo receives the captain's armband from Ramos.
60' GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLL!!!! EIBAR GETS ONE BACK!!! PEDRO BIGAS SCORES! Poor Courtois, he had no view of the ball. His penalty box was crowded. Bigas took a shot from just outside the box. It was deflected off his teammate Enrich, wrongfooting Real keeper Courtois who let the ball in, despite getting hand on it.
58' THREE CHANGES FOR EIBAR NOW! P Bigas, S Enrich and P Leon come in for Rafa, Kike and F Orellana respectively. Manager Jose Mendiliba brings in some attacking flair now. On the other hand, Zinedine Zidane looks composed on the touchline.
55' Eden Hazard sends a teasing cross into the area, but Eibar keeper Marko Dmitrovic intercepts the ball. He throws the ball into play. Casemiro was trying to get to the ball but he clattered into the legs of Exposito. Casemiro already has a yellow card. But he gets away without a booking this time.
50' Fabian Orellana sends in a lofted cross from a mid-range free kick, but his poor effort goes out of play. Real Madrid quickly restarts play. Marcelo receives the ball on the left and tries to find the head of Benzema in the box but overhits the cross. Meanwhile, Mendy is playing on the right.
46' SUBSTITUTION! A change from Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane straightaway. Ferland Mendy replaces Dani Carvajal. Not sure as to who will play on the right flank - Marcelo or Mendy?
AND THE SECOND HALF BEGINS!
Real Madrid has clearly dominated the game so far. And the team looks set to bag full three points tonight. Goals from Toni Kroos, Sergio Ramos and Marcelo have put the host in pole position here.
Eden Hazard and Karim Benzema have impressed as well. Five changes remain for each side. Will Gareth Bale or Isco come in? Forty-five minutes to go. Stay tuned!
AND IT'S HALF-TIME!
45+2' WHAT A CHANCE FOR REAL MADRID! Rodrygo wastes a huge opportunity. He receives a precise cross inside the penalty area and releases a quick shot that sails towards the bottom right corner. The goalkeeper dives to make a stunning save.
45' Two minutes of stoppage time to be added on at the end of the first half! Toni Kroos will take a corner for Real Madrid after Benzema's shot was deflected out. Eibar defenders join together to clear the danger away.
42' Roberto Correa delivers a fine lofted cross into the penalty area, but it's cleared by Varane. The ball fall backs to Correa, who tries to slide the ball through to a teammate but it's well blocked by a Carvajal this time.
37' ANOTHER GOOOOAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!!!! MARCELO SCORES!!!! REAL MADRID 3 - 0 EIBAR! The home team is running away with the game here. Karim Benzema has a hand in this goal as well. He's been Real's playmaker today. He passed the ball forward to Eden Hazard, whose shot was blocked by Eibar keeper Dimitrovic. The rebound fell to Marcelo, who made no mistake with his finish.
34' CHANCE! Exposito approaches the edge of the box with intent and shoots, but Thibaut Courtois rushes out to narrow the angle and smothers the ball. Good goalkeeping!
30' GOALLLLLLLLLL!!!!! REAL MADRID 2 - 0 EIBAR!! RAMOS SCORES!!!!! This was totally a Sergio Ramos move. He won the ball at the other end and initiated a counter attack. Benzema complemented him well. Hazard joined in and provided the assist. The Real Madrid skipper Ramos had the easiest of finishes as he slotted the ball into an open net.
28' Hazard and Rodrygo are working in tandem here. They are shifting their flanks continuously to confuse the Eibar defence. Casemiro commits a foul in midfield and there's a stop in play.
25' CORNER FOR MADRID! Eden Hazard dribbles past some opponents in midfield. And tries to find Benzema inside the box. However, the ball is deflected out by Oliveira. The resulting set-piece isn't to efficient for the host.
22' Toni Kroos sends a long ball forward to Rodrygo, but he put too much power on the pass. Quick goalkick and the counter is on. Rafa moves forward with the ball but fails to find any of his teammates inside the box as his pass is blocked.
20' It's time for the La Liga 'Applause to Infinity'. This is a special initiative and in every La Liga match, at the 20th minute, a recorded applause will be played to appreciate the work of health workers amid the coronavirus pandemic.
16' Garcia Kike has an opportunity, but isn't able to direct the ball into the net. The rebound falls in no man's land. FOUL! Toni Kroos trips an opponent but gets away without a booking.
13' CHANCE FOR EIBAR! Sebastian Cristoforo produces a good strike from close range. But the ball sails to the middle of the goal as his effort ends up in Courtois' hands.
10' Some patient build-up play from Real Madrid as it looks to unlock the Eibar defence. FREE-KICK! Sergio Alvarez's silly tackle gives Real Madrid a set-piece in midfield.
6' Garcia Kike looks to break free in midfield, but Luka Modric clears the ball away. This Real Madrid midfield is a delight to watch.
4' GOALLLLLL!!!! TONI KROOS SCORES FOR REAL MADRID!!!!!!!! Hazard with the assist. Actually, Kroos was the one who gave away the ball in midfield. Casemiro recovered it and found Hazard with a pass. Hazard slid one towards Karim Benzema, who did most of the work inside the box before Toni Kroos received the ball. Finally, Kroos smashed one towards the top-right corner.
AND THE MATCH BEGINS!
REMINDER: Real Madrid will play its remaining home games this season at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium as the Santiago Bernabeu is under renovation.
A minute's silence is being observed in memory of all the coronavirus victims worldwide.
The players are out!
ICYMI: The last six meetings between the two sides have all produced three or more total goals as well as a winner, with both teams scoring in three. Real Madrid had won five out of the six matches.
NOTE: Gareth Bale, Isco, Marco Asensio and James Rodriguez are on the bench for Real Madrid.
The team line-ups are out!
REAL MADRID XI: T Courtois (G), S Ramos (C), R Varane, D Carvajal, Marcelo, Casemiro, T Kroos, L Modric, Rodrygo, E Hazard, K Benzema.
EIBAR XI: M Dimitrovic (G), S Alvarez, A Arbilla (C), R Correa, S Cristoforo, P De Blasis, E Exposito, Kike, P Oliveira, F Orellana, Rafa.
MATCH PREVIEW:
Real Madrid’s joint-record signing Eden Hazard and Spain international Marco Asensio are both fit for the team’s first La Liga match in over three months against visitor Eibar on Sunday, coach Zinedine Zidane has said.
Hazard injured his ankle for the second time this season in February and was expected to miss the rest of the campaign after surgery but the competition being halted by the COVID-19 pandemic gave him extra time to recover.
Asensio meanwhile had missed the entire campaign since rupturing knee ligaments in pre-season and has also benefitted from the long pause in action.
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“The good news is that they both have had time to prepare like all the other players, Asensio is training normally, so is Hazard, they are both available and that’s great news for us,” Zidane told a virtual news conference on Saturday.
Zidane’s side is involved in one of the closest-run La Liga title races in recent memory, trailing leader Barcelona by two points with 11 games to go as it looks to overhaul the Catalans to win its first league crown since 2017.
The match with Eibar will also be Real’s first La Liga game at the 6,000 capacity Alfredo di Stefano stadium, where it has chosen to play its final home fixtures of the campaign in order to accelerate renovation works to the Santiago Bernabeu.
That decision was taken because the games were expected to be played behind closed doors and, while fans may now be able to return from June 29, Zidane said the team would still complete the campaign in the tiny stadium at their training ground.
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