With the heel and the cannon, a Madrid of soul, not of order, comes forward. Not this time. As in Rome, the Champions League returns the version of comebacks. It is too early to know if it is something premonitory, but it is a lot if we talk about Madrid, despite being disfigured by the rotations of its coach, with a starting Militao but far from Militao, an unknown Vinicius and without Tchouaméni or Güler. Athens seemed like the place to do them, but there is no easy place in Europe. AEK was a whole team, from top to bottom. Fede Valverde finally brought it down to leave the final 2-3, like a father who hits the slide where everyone went up and down.
Before his entry from the bench, Madrid needed someone to increase the energy with which he was on the field, which was scarce. It was Bellingham. The disproportion with AEK did more than equalize an unequal duel from the names. It is a constant teaching of football. The changes introduced by Mourinho did not justify it, because beyond coordination errors in the lines, such as between Camavinga and Bernardo Silva, a couple in the midfield, the problems were in the difference in the intensity, the pace of play and the aggressiveness in the duels. Marko Nikolic's were better.
AEK left Madrid without space and, instead, found it in the transitions. The first was made by an acquaintance from Madrid. Jovic seemed like a different player than the one who passed through the Bernabéu confused, without the ability to adapt in a strange time, in a pandemic. Bad thing. It is difficult to remember a drive by the Serb in white like the one he did to provoke Courtois' first chance and performance. He rode the ball from the center to win the balcony of the area and give it up to Majer, on the wing. The Croatian's cross was finished off by Gacinovic and the Belgian kicked it out. A very special stop, like the specific flavor of a chef. Jovic himself was able to beat him minutes later, already from his natural place, the land of nine. Courtois stopped like he couldn't against Koita, in a super-class action by this Mauritanian player, one of the best of the match. An exquisite and subtle maneuver gave him just the right space for the shot, at point-blank range.
Cucurella, a limpet
It is difficult to do that and it is very difficult to do it in front of Cucurella, a limpet. A very tough side is growing, old-fashioned when they score, with very good readings, as demonstrated in the classic against Lamine, and aware of the hierarchy acquired to go to the limit. When unfolded, it flies like her hair. Belligham's equalizer, between heel and spur, came after a tense cross from Cucu. He had, already in the second half, the winning goal in a clean arrival to the area, but an opponent rejected his shot.
For Cucurella, however, there was a change. Ahead was not Diomande, but Vinicius, who was returning in the Champions League. He was not the Vini of before, confused, slow, without the ability to overwhelm, always in dirty attacks. The Ivorian acted on the right, active but less clairvoyant than on the left.
Without Güler, without vision
Diomande's position was the one in which Güler has played lately, which, today, is like Madrid's sights. The white team missed the Turk's vision, the ability to highlight the attackers in advantageous situations. In this Madrid, with deficits in the creation of the game, it is necessary. The same as Tchouaméni, another of those absent in Athens, to offer balance, something that the team lost in the second half of the game. Camavinga works and leads in attack, but it does not give him stability.
The Bellingham tie came with a different scenario, in which Madrid had matched the match in intensity, although without the clarity to definitively tilt the match. Vinicius was winning in the fight with his rivals, as he did in a race to the area, and Mbappé became desperate. He always had a tenth left, he was missing a meter, until he found it in the second tie of the match. The action was initiated by Bellingham, who found Dumfries in space. The Dutchman's center discovered, this time, Mbappé in the killer's place.
A goal of relief because Madrid had been unable to sustain the trend with which they had ended the first half. AEK, well managed by their coach, with Koita on the opposite wing, not only stood up, but threatened a discomposed Madrid when they had to run back. It happened in an attack exceptionally carried out by the Greek team, with the Mauritanian, of course, in the middle, so that Pilo discovered the human condition of Courtois, by beating him under his legs.
