The match has screamed to a halt as Real Madrid are four minutes away from a victory they all but guaranteed 15 minutes into the second half. Leganes have rarely forayed forward, with Pellegrino’s substitutes being as ineffective as his starters.
90'
The referee indicates there will be an additional 4 minutes at the end of the match for stoppages.
88'
Ceballos catches Juanfran with a high boot to the face. That is extremely dangerous play from the Real Madrid midfielder who could have done serious damage to the right-back.
85'
Lucas Vázquez enters the game and replaces G. Bale.
Gareth Bale makes way for Lucas Vazquez in Real Madrid’s third substitution of the match.
83'
Ceballos can’t find any room on the edge of the penalty area and is forced to switch play to the other side for Carvajal. The cross comes in but Bale can’t connect with his left foot and it ends as a goal-kick for Cuellar.
81'
D. Rolán enters the game and replaces M. Santos.
Michael Santos has been ineffective in the second half and the manager has decided to switch it up, sending on Diego Rolan.
79'
Marcelo attempts to play Isco through on the left in the same way he linked up with Asensio all match, but the latter slips and cannot latch onto the return pass.
78'
Dani Ceballos enters the game and replaces Marco Asensio.
Marco Asensio has been exceptional all match and has earned his early rest. Dani Ceballos will see out the final 12 minutes.
76'
Asensio gets free and makes it all the way to the penalty area where he opts to lay it off to Bale who takes two touches before firing it towards goal, but he sails it high over Cuellar’s head.
Minute
Description
74'
Kroos measures a cross to the back post but the defenders are alert to Benzema’s position and clear it. The ball is sent back in from the other side where it narrowly misses the outstretched foot of Varane who is looking to add to the 4-1 score.
72'
Real Madrid are still attacking, but Bustinza’s last-second intervention thwarted yet another fantastic one-two passing move involving Benzema around the penalty area.
70'
Y. En-Nesyri enters the game and replaces N. El Zhar.
Nabil El Zhar is also removed, with Youssef En-Nesyri on in his stead.
69'
Mikel Vesga enters the game and replaces Eraso.
Javier Eraso – the man who won Leganes the penalty – will play no further part as Mikel Vesga is on to replace him.
68'
Real Madrid have slowed down the pace, knowing that the hard work is done today. Leganes have not really contributed in this second half, and they have been disappointing since a good spell at the end of the first period.
66'
Penalty goal scored by Sergio Ramos for Real Madrid!
Ramos makes no mistake and launches it into the left-hand side of the goal – sending Cuellar in the opposite direction. Real Madrid are now up 4-1!
65'
PENALTY TO REAL MADRID! Asensio is taken down inside the penalty area by Siovas who slides in nastily after Marcelo’s back-heel pass sends the forward through. Sergio Ramos steps up, looking to make it 4-1.
62'
Isco enters the game and replaces L. Modrić.
That assist is the last part Luka Modric will play in the match, as he's taken off after an hour for Isco.
61'
K. Benzema has scored a goal for Real Madrid! Assist by L. Modrić.
The newly crowned UEFA Player of the Year winner Luka Modric plays his part in this one, laying off the ball for Benzema’s goal and getting the assist.
BENZEMA DOUBLES THE LEAD! Madrid have themselves some insurance now as Benzema plays a one-two pass with Modric on the edge of the penalty area and, after letting it run away from goal slightly, hammers a shot which tucks itself into the far post! 3-1 to Real Madrid!
59'
Carvajal sends a cross in from the right to the top of the box where Kroos pops up unmarked and offers a beautifully hit volley that goes agonizingly wide of the keeper’s left-hand post.
57'
The opening 12 minutes have been played at a flying pace, with Real Madrid unafraid to push the tempo and beat Leganes with pace. That has allowed the away side to work off of the counter-attack, but Courtois has looked solid whenever called upon.
53'
Leganes win a corner but it’s met at the far-side of the box by Kroos who boots it downfield to Benzema who sparks a counter-attack. Bale picks it up just inside the penalty area and dribbles past two defenders but sends his shot wide. It’s end-to-end stuff here at the Bernabeu!
51'
JUST TIPPED WIDE! Carrillo has a strike at goal from inside the area which is blocked right into the path of Santos. His effort is tipped just wide by the goalkeeper from close-range, but the referee says it wouldn’t have counted anyway as the strike was offside.
48'
K. Benzema has scored a goal for Real Madrid! Assist by Marco Asensio.
THE GOAL STANDS! 2-1 TO REAL! Marco Asensio puts a fantastic cross into the box where Karim Benzema is duelling with Bustinza but the centre-back can't muster enough strength to hold off the striker who maintains his ground legally after a VAR check. From there, the striker nods home the simple finish.
Marco Asensio is the creator of the goal as his accurate cross found the head of Benzema for the go-ahead goal.
46'
The referee blows his whistle and gets the second half underway at the Bernabeu!
45' +2
HALF TIME: REAL MADRID 1-1 LEGANES.
45' +1
Siovas deflects a Carvajal cross which wins Real a corner in injury time. Kroos is allowed to take it but its met by a Leganes defender at the near post.
45'
The referee indicates that a single minute will be added as stoppage time.
43'
BRILLIANT SAVE FROM CUELLAR! Benzema pops up at the back post and latches on the end of a Bale cross with a difficult volley across his body, but Cuellar kicks out and makes a fantastic intervention! Perfect positioning by Leganes’ keeper to keep his side level!
41'
Bale gets the ball in space on the right and charges in before taking a long-distance knuckled shot which flies well-wide of the mark.
40'
Asensio sends Bale into a box with a leading pass but Bale takes it long into the corner. The cross comes in and its met by Kroos’ head from some distance, and Cuellar lets it roll out for a goal-kick.
38'
Real Madrid are upping the tempo with less than 10 minutes to play in the half in search of a goal to break the deadlock. Asensio gets ahead of himself with the pace however and extends a pass much too far for Carvajal who makes the overlap at every occasion. Leganes are frustrating the home side here.
34'
Kroos puts a weighted cross into the box looking for Benzema but it doesn’t beat the first Leganes defender who clears it to the midfield, allowing the away side to regain their shape.
32'
Carvajal volleys a cross to Bale who rises higher than Bustinza, but Cuellar moves swiftly across his goal to make the save.
31'
Real Madrid are slowing the game down and controlling the tempo after a brief spell where Leganes were pressuring the defence. The attack is coming down the right but Carvajal’s through ball for Asensio is blocked.
29'
Santos is involved at the other end, steaming towards the penalty area but he opts to shoot instead of passing to El Zhar on his right. The strike is ultimately a very poor one which Courtois will be happy to gobble up.
27'
M. Santos gets yellow.
Michael Santos is shown the first card of the match for Leganes after a poor challenge in midfield leaves Carvajal on the ground.
26'
That is a lifeline for Leganes who have been pinned in their own area for much of the first half. That penalty decision came on the back of what was Leganes’ first foray forward in the match. They have not played particularly well, but Mauricio Pellegrino must be happy with where his team are currently.
24'
Penalty goal scored by G. Carrillo for Leganes!
GOAL TO LEGANES! Guido Carrillo puts it coolly to the goalkeeper’s left and Courtois guesses the wrong way. The new signing’s clean sheet is ruined on his debut! 1-1!
23'
PENALTY TO LEGANES! Eraso is taken down in the box just after attempting to side-step Casemiro in the penalty area. The holding midfielder misses with his first challenge but goes in for a second which takes the man down. The away side have a chance to equalise out of nowhere!
19'
Ramos had threatened with a searching pass looking for Bale only a two minutes before the goal, which was created through similar means. Having a player who can defend resolutely and create chances at the other end is an absolute luxury – one that Real Madrid have had for more than a decade.
17'
G. Bale has scored a goal for Real Madrid! Assist by Dani Carvajal.
That is phenomenal awareness from Dani Carvajal whose centring pass for Bale was placed at the perfect height for a venomous volley.
GARETH BALE MAKES IT THREE GOALS IN THREE GAMES! 1-0 to Real Madrid with a fantastic volley from close-range! Ramos shows his passing ability as he switches play to the right for Carvajal who nods it centrally for the incoming strikers. Benzema opens up space for Bale who is able to volley it past the goalkeeper with tremendous quality!
15'
Ramos fires a long-range pass from inside his own area looking for Bale, but the forward is unable to control it despite leaping at full-stretch. The following goal-kick is taken poorly by Cuellar who gives Madrid a throw in midfield.
14'
Asensio finds space outside the penalty area and sets himself before curling a shot-cum-cross which is cleared unconvincingly for a corner. The corner is taken short before coming to the back post but dealt with by Leganes.
12'
Kroos uses his wonderful range to ping a cross-field ball to Carvajal who controls it well before losing the ball to a Juanfran challenge – though Madrid maintain possession via a throw-in.
10'
Bale fizzes a cross into the six-yard box but Siovas tips it away from the outstretched head of Benzema who is lurking in that far-post area. The ensuing corner is cleared and Real Madrid can once again build from the back.
9'
Marcelo puts a cross in early for Benzema but Bustinza is there to meet it at the near post with his head. The Real left-back has already taken up a number of good attacking positions – it won’t be a surprise to see a home goal created on the left flank.
7'
Silva steps up to cut out a pass in midfield and Leganes collectively turn to spark a counter-attack but Casemiro does his job and earns the ball back, ending any potential danger before it occurs.
5'
Real Madrid look to be in for an evening full of possession and that almost pays as Asensio gets on the end of a Marcelo chipped pass but lifts his lob just over the crossbar!
3'
L. Modrić gets yellow.
An early yellow card is shown to Luka Modric who goes sliding in perhaps too enthusiastically on Carrillo in an attempt to win the ball.
1'
Real Madrid get the match underway!
Leganes Substitutes: Diego Rolan, Mikel Vesga, Allan Nyom, Daniel Ojeda, Jon Serantes, Youssef En-Nesyri, Kenneth Omeruo.
Leganes Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Ivan Cuellar; Juanfran, Unai Bustinza, Dimitrios Siovas, Jonathan Silva; Gerard Gumbau, Ruben Perez; Nabil El Zhar Javier Eraso, Michael Santos; Guido Carrillo.
Real Madrid Substitutes: Keylor Navas, Nacho, Mariano, Lucas Vazquez, Marcos Llorente, Isco, Dani Ceballos.
Real Madrid Starting XI (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois; Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Dani Carvajal; Toni Kroos, Casemiro, Luka Modric; Marco Asensio, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale.
With 5 minutes to go before kick-off, it's about time we took a look at how the two sides will line up today! Let's start with Real Madrid!
Carrillo's coolly dispatched penalty – his first for Leganes – erased a sumptuous Gareth Bale volley from inside the penalty area after 17 minutes. Madrid certainly look likely to score again, but they cannot let their eager to attack expose gaps in defence. The second half is perfectly poised, with the result hanging in the balance!
Both sides enter the half level at one apiece, however, the score doesn’t tell the entire story. Real Madrid have dominated the match for long periods of time, looking very comfortable, albeit slightly impatient. Towards the end of the first half, Real Madrid’s anxiousness cost them, as lax defending during a rare Leganes attack led Casemiro to take down Eraso inside the penalty area.
If Real Madrid ended the first-half of play slightly relaxed, they came out of the blocks in the second half and turned the tempo up all the way. Three goals within 20 minutes of the restart confirmed the result with half an hour remaining. Benzema was on top form today, netting twice and proving that he is still an efficient top-level striker.
That concludes our commentary of the LaLiga fixture between Real Madrid and Leganes. We hope you enjoyed the match and we’ll see you again soon!
Next up for Real Madrid is a meeting with Athletic Bilbao at the San Mames while Leganes look for their first win of the season in a tough tie against Villareal.
The good spell for Pellegrino’s men went no further than the end of the first half, as they were put to the sword by Real Madrid’s impressive changes in tempo. Giving away an unnecessary penalty was never going to help their cause – but it was no doubt the result of frustration.
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