In just the 8th minute of Real Madrid’s crucial Champions League tie against Manchester City, Los Blancos were punished for their shaky attempts to play out from the back.
Thibaut Courtois passed the ball out to Raphael Varane and the centre-back was punished for mulling about, Gabriel Jesus snatched the ball and squared it across the box to Raheem Sterling.
The England international was left free to slot the ball into the back of the net with a tidy finish, Madrid have essentially gifted a goal to their world-class opponents.
Take a look at City’s early opener below:
Look away now Raphael Varane ?
The Real Madrid defender has his pocket picked by Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling is on hand to apply the finish!#Club2020 pic.twitter.com/BykvhWEain
— Football on BT Sport #Club2020 (@btsportfootball) August 7, 2020
Pictures from BT Sport and CBS Sports.
Zinedine Zidane’s side now have an even more difficult task on their hands, what a great start to the game for Pep Guardiola’s men.
We certainly didn’t expect a blunder like this from one of the world’s best centre-backs in Varane, guess everyone has an off-day at some point.