Zinedine Zidane looks on before during the Spanish league football
match Real Valladolid FC against Real Madrid CF at the Jose Zorilla
stadium in Valladolid on January 26, 2020.CESAR MANSO /
AFP
Zinedine Zidane made four substitutions at half-time on
Saturday but could not spark Real Madrid into life as his team
slipped to a 1-0 defeat by newly-promoted Cadiz in La
Liga.
Sergio Ramos was the only enforced change at the Alfredo di
Stefano Stadium as Madrid’s captain spent the second half in the
stands with ice strapped around his left knee.
Madrid said the injury was not serious but it puts in doubt
Ramos’ involvement in their first Champions League game against
Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday, as well as the Clasico three days
later.
If Barcelona’s players were watching, they might well feel this
Madrid are there for the taking when they meet at Camp Nou next
weekend.
A prolonged absence for Ramos would cap a deflating night for
the reignings Spanish champions, whose dreary display certainly
hands an early boost to their title rivals.
Atletico Madrid had earlier beaten Celta Vigo 2-0, with Luis
Suarez opening the scoring at Balaidos, while Barca were about to
face Getafe.
This is Cadiz’s first season in the top flight in 14 years and
their first victory over Real Madrid in 29, yet they could have won
by more.
Their reward is second place in the table, denied a place at the
top by their opponents only on goal difference.
Isco, Luka Modric and Lucas Vazquez were the other three players
to be hauled off by Zidane, who was reacting to an abject display
from his side in the first half.
Eder Militao, Casemiro, Fede Valverde and Marco Asensio came on
while a surprised-looking Toni Kroos also departed in the second
period, replaced by Luka Jovic.
But Madrid’s performance hardly improved and by the end they had
managed just two shots on target.
Cadiz could have been three up in the first quarter of an hour
as Ramos prevented Alvaro Negredo’s finish from rolling in before
Negredo created the opener.
His cushioned header put through Anthony Lozano, who skipped
beyond Madrid’s sleepy defence and poked over the onrushing Thibaut
Courtois.
Madrid might have equalised in the second half as Vinicius
Junior headed wide of an open goal and Karim Benzema rattled the
crossbar with a long-range shot.
But Cadiz were not overly troubled.
Earlier, Suarez partnered Diego Costa for the first time and
scored as Atletico Madrid beat struggling Celta Vigo 2-0.
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But the Suarez-Costa combination came to an early end as Costa
was forced off injured in the second half.
– ‘Try to adapt’ -Sitting in the stands, Costa was seen with his
face in his hands and he was also hobbling after the final
whistle.
He is now likely to miss Atletico’s Champions League opener at
Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
Atletico climb to fourth, two points behind Real Madrid and one
ahead of Barcelona, after the win. Celta, meanwhile, have managed
only one win from their first six games and sit 13th.
This was a much-needed victory for Atletico after back-to-back
goalless draws had dampened enthusiasm following their 6-1 opening
win against Granada.
Suarez made his debut that day, coming off the bench to score
twice when Granada were already down and out, but his early strike
shaped this game against Celta, until Yannick Carrasco headed in a
second in injury-time.
Diego Simeone had kept Suarez and Costa apart by using one to
substitute the other in each of Atletico’s first three matches but
he paired them together from the start at Balaidos, with Joao Felix
on the bench.
Costa predicted last month they would be handful together,
saying “it will be good, one bites, the other one kicks.”
There were flickers of chemistry, with Suarez missing a chance
for a second from the Costa pass that caused him to feel pain in
his lower leg.
“He’s important because of his career and what he has done at
Atleti,” said Suarez. “We try to adapt to each other despite never
having played together before.”
Felix also impressed when he came on and will provide a more
creative, if less combative, foil for Suarez in Costa’s
absence.
After replacing the injured Costa after half-time, it was
Felix’s curling shot that hit the bar, allowing Carrasco to nod in
the rebound.
Suarez had earlier put Atletico in front in the sixth minute,
sweeping in after 20-year-old left-back Manu Sanchez picked him out
with a clever pull-back.
There was also a debut for Lucas Torreira, the Uruguayan signed
on loan from Arsenal, who was energetic and tidy in central
midfield, despite feeling some cramp late on.