Zinedine Zidane would’ve been delighted to see his rotated side ease the pressure and chances of a shock upset when Real Madrid took the lead against Alcoyano in the final minute of the first-half.
In the last minute of regulation play during the first-half, Isco whipped a corner in from the left flank, youngster Victor Chust saw his header spiral away at the near post
Fortunately, the debutant managed to get the ball back to Isco, who rolled it out to Marcelo, the left-back showed his brilliant attacking quality as he took a touch and floated a pinpoint ball into the box.
Eder Militao towered over his man at the back post to steer the ball into the back of the net, taking a massive weight off of Madrid’s shoulders heading into the interval.
ESPN recently reported that the out-of-favour centre-back was being courted by Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich, however Mourinho may now be against a move as Militao wouldn’t immediately lift Spurs’ backline.
Eder Militao heads Madrid in front just before half time! ?
A tough break for Alcoyano who’ve put up a very strong fight so far ? pic.twitter.com/B062DpvY5d
— Premier Sports ? (@PremierSportsTV) January 20, 2021
Pictures from Premier Sports and L’Equipe.
Zidane will hope this moment helps Militao build some much-needed confidence and it also shows Marcelo is staying sharp despite his lesser role for the team since Ferland Mendy took control.
Madrid are expected to overcome the third-tier side with ease, anything less and Zidane will face questions in a sketchy campaign that has already seen calls for him to be replaced.