HOURentering the season as one of the favorites of the domestic crown, RealMadrid managed to survive a notable fear in the first match of the La Liga season with a defeat from behind almeria 2-1.
After a positive mid-week win over Eintracht Frankfurt am MainLos Blancos were expected to beat the newly promoted team.
However, RealMadrid One could hardly wish for a worse start to the defense of their domestic crown as Almería broke the deadlock in six minutes.
Inigo Eguaras provided an ideal passage through the center of defense to the side Larji Ramazaniwho was able to stun Real Madrid with a side kick into the bottom corner of the goal.
It was a goal that baffled the visitors, who simply didn’t expect to fall behind so early, especially after such a positive pre-season that ended with an easy victory over Eintracht in the UEFA Super Cup.
Real Madrid take on Almeria
Los Blancos hit back almost immediately though Karim Benzema made a rare mistake, shooting from close range over the bar after a great job with Vinicius Jr..
At the 26th minute Benzema was inches from redeeming himself, the French striker bounced perfectly and headed the ball towards goal only to Ferdinand Martinez to keep diving world class.
However, after a half-hour rest break, the guests slowed down. Lucas Vasquez thought he equalized shortly before halftime.
The Spaniard threw the ball into the net, but it was not counted due to the fact that he was offside.
To say that Los Merengues put pressure on Almeria would be an understatement, because by the 49th minute of the game the corners were already 13-0 in favor of the Spanish champions.
Federico Valverdestunning pass through the net missed everyone’s head RealMadrid attacking, and those present did not know how the hosts stay ahead.
The pressure generated Carlo Anchelottiside will pay off soon though, like Vasquez scored a goal that was credited just after the hour.
Benzema made a smart drag back, passing the ball to the side Vasquez on the back post, and he couldn’t help but hit the ball into the net.
From there it seemed like it was just a matter of time before RealMadrid would have taken the lead, a lot of spirit and energy had gone from almeriazealous defensive demonstration, and it was David Alaba who put the guests ahead 15 minutes before the end.
Instant Impact Alaba
The Austrian footballer has rarely been able to show his skill at set pieces since he moved from Bavariabut his free kick from outside the area accurately went through the wall and into the net thanks to a soft pass from the right post.
Seeing Barcelona falter in their Saturday night opener, the first lead of the campaign came from the Los Merenguees team, who are incredibly comfortable with the direction they are heading under Ancelotti.