Real’s 4-0 mauling at the hands of Manchester City in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final last term felt like the end of an era, and Carlo Ancelotti’s first starting XI of the new campaign certainly suggested a changing of the guard.
Karim Benzema’s absence was, of course, unavoidable, but veterans Toni Kroos’ and Luka Modrić’s inclusion amongst the substitutes was not. Instead, 23-year-old Aurélien Tchouaméni was joined in the middle of the park by summer signing Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga, both 20.
Early on, the visitors looked a little disjointed, but once Rodrygo put them in front shortly before the half-hour mark with a low drive, the youngsters began to hit their stride.
Bellingham, in particular, looked impressive and, not long after David Alaba struck the post with a header and Unai Simón denied Vinícius Júnior, the England international doubled his side’s lead. It was hardly the best of strikes, but it looped over Athletic goalkeeper Simón and into the corner and unlike the opener, the Spanish shot-stopper was not to blame.
The hosts, meanwhile, were largely toothless, but may have felt hard done by not to be awarded a penalty when Unai Gómez was brought down in the area by Éder Militão after seeing Andriy Lunin save his shot.
That second strike took the sting out of the match, and although Los Blancos took their foot off the gas, they didn’t relinquish control of the encounter, the only blemish being Militão’s departure from the pitch after 50 minutes with a serious-looking knee injury.
There were few real chances of note after the break as Ernesto Valverde’s lacklustre hosts failed to apply any attacking sustained pressure.
Their season will not be defined by this defeat to a clearly superior Madrid outfit, but Valverde will be disappointed by his team’s lack of precision. For the 14-time European champions, however, the future looks bright, and their fresh-faced, vibrant talent will surely be at the forefront of whatever they achieve this term.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
