Merengue symphony by Modric, Kroos and Valverde in another magical night in the Champions League | CHRONICLE

He real Madrid dance merengue to the sound of a symphony of endless touches. The 2-0 against Chelsea by Champions League he was a tune to modern football with possession, speed and dynamism. The game of the Madrid midfielder could be put in the background a waltz song while Luka Modric receives, touches and passes in the midfield with 95% success in his passes (70/74). Or when Toni Kroos watches the horizon from midfield to weave, organize and create plays with almost perfect passing: 94% (76/81). Or, also perhaps, when Federico Valverde takes the spear and steps, runs and breaks lines with the authority of not making mistakes (91% accuracy with 70 correct passes out of a total of 77).

Real Madrid in the Champions League shows that it is a wolf that has a ferocious attack, but its midfielder of a thousand battles Modric-Kroos-Valverde is the executor of Carlo Ancelotti’s plan. Vinícius wouldn’t shine like he does (he provided two assists against Chelsea) if he didn’t have the protection of Modric and Kroos behind him. Similarly, Rodrygo would not dare to throw so many diagonals without the certainty that Valverde will carry out the round trip on the right wing. And, of course, Benzema wouldn’t be the current Ballon d’Or if he didn’t have a symphony orchestra playing to the sound of his goals.

Another magical Champions League night at the Santiago Bernabéu, which must charge twice for the same ticket: football and opera. Another evening in which the white shirt roars in front of its fans. Chelsea tried to compete, Real Madrid always knew they would win.

Know how to hit the right shot

Sensation of cold and goosebumps. Real Madrid cornered Chelsea in their area for the first three minutes, but it was enough for Kanté to recover the ball and launch a long pass for Joao Félix to almost silence the Bernabéu. Knowing the script of Madrid’s high pressure, the English did not have the need to launch the attack from the start. They waited, endured and hoped to have more than one counterattack.

However, Real Madrid also quickly understood the intentions of the ‘Blues’. And that’s how Modric, Kroos and Valverde appeared on the scene. The German was impassable. According to SofaScore, he won 8 of the 9 duels he had in midfield (7 on the ground, 1 in the air). The Croatian cut three rival passes close to the Real Madrid pair. And the Uruguayan, apart from completing 4 long passes, participated with 3 interceptions, 2 dribbles and 2 fouls.

With the forcefulness he showed in midfield, Madrid’s defense was rushed on a few occasions, and the attack’s job was only easier. That’s how the goal came. Dani Carvajal (highest rated on SofaScore with a 7.8 score) threw a long pass behind the ‘blue’ central defense that found Vinícius’ booty. Goalkeeper Kepa answered the Brazilian’s weak shot in time, but the ball fizzled out below the goal line. Benzema followed the play and only had to set foot to score the 1-0 at 21′.

The second goal found Chelsea with 10 men due to the expulsion of Chilwell (he brought down Rodrygo heading for the goal). At 74′, Kroos hurried the corner with Modric, who found Vinícius free in the area. The winger was faster than the English defense and assisted Marco Asensio, who unleashed a left-footed shot to end the night in Madrid.

Was Courtois required in the match? He responded twice when Chelsea remembered to attack and posted 7.5 points. How did the merengue defense go? Almost all of them above the rating average in SofaScore: Camavinga with 7.3, Alaba with 7.7 and Carvajal with 7.8. Only Militao was out of tune with 6.9.

In statistical and modern times, Real Madrid maintains the mystique. He is the king of Europe, he dominates world football.