Real Madrid 3-2 Leganes: Match review | OneFootball

Real Madrid earned an important win in La Liga on matchday 29 of the competition as they defeated Leganes 3-2 at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.

A heavily rotated side was far from its best and looked very predictable for much of the game, though at this stage of the season, the three points on the board will be enough to make Carlo Ancelotti and his men the happier of the two sides.

The match got underway with Los Blancos having much of the possession but little creativity. There were aimless crosses being floated into the area by Fran Garcia and Lucas Vazquez, while a few set piece opportunities also went begging due to poor deliveries.

The hosts had a couple of decent chances through Kylian Mbappe, who finally got proceedings underway just over half an hour into the game.

Arda Guler drew a penalty in the box which the France captain cheekily chipped down the middle to establish a lead for Los Merengues. It was a deserved lead for the Whites, who had control of the match until that point.

Their joy was short-lived, however, as it took less than 90 seconds for the visitors to draw level as a neat counter-attacking move was finished off by Diego Garcia from close range.

Leganes were right back into the game and took a shock lead just eight minutes later through Dani Raba. The 29-year-old was at the end of a quick move from the away side down their left side.

Los Pepineros would go into the break with a one-goal lead to their name as the Bernabeu faithful whistled Real Madrid off the pitch for a fairly formulaic display, especially in the final third.

Once the second period got underway, it did not take the defending La Liga champions long to respond as only one and a half minute in, Jude Bellingham equalised. After his initial shot was saved and Brahim Diaz’s rebound was cleared off the line, the former Borussia Dortmund star volleyed home a loose ball from close range to draw things level against the division’s 18th-placed side.

Ancelotti started to put in his trump cards later on as the game continued without any significant chances for the Whites as Federico Valverde, Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius Junior were added to the fore off the bench.

Rodrygo won a free-kick from close range soon after coming on, which Mbappe dispatched neatly for his second goal of the game and to make it 3-2 for Real Madrid.

Though Real Madrid won, crucially so, there was little to write home about their performance barring three good moments which sealed a win for them. In the aftermath of the final whistle, there were questions regarding Ancelotti’s tactics, especially considering Los Blancos struggled against one of the league’s most underperforming sides yet again this season.

That said, there is little to ponder over for the manager regarding the league outing as attentions have quickly turned to the Copa del Rey semi-final. Real Madrid host Real Sociedad on April 1st in the second leg of the Kings Cup last four at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. They have a 1-0 lead from the first leg thanks to Endrick and will look to get the job done in front of their own fans.