Real Madrid Defeat PSG, but Doubts over Rafa Benitez's Style Gain Traction

SANTIAGO BERNABEU, MADRID — The whistle had just blown, and already Rafa Benitez was heading down the Bernabeu tunnel. A frustrated-looking Cristiano Ronaldo did the same. 

Neither man had enjoyed a great evening, and frankly, they weren't alone. 

On the night, Real Madrid had won, but in the bigger picture they hadn't. On the other side, Paris Saint-Germain had won a handful of admirers but hadn't won much else. When it finally ended, fans of both were left perplexed: Madrid's supporters poured out rapidly, rather disgruntled and letting more than a few whistles be heard; above them, PSG's once-bullish travelling contingent lost their voice—second place in this Champions League group and a difficult path in the knockout stage now looks likely. 

Such a scene was in great contrast to that which had been evident prior to kickoff. Outside the stadium, the mood was buoyant, the air carrying a certain edge. Anticipation was abundant, and it wasn't hard to understand why. 

Until now, the Bernabeu had been deprived of genuine occasions this season, a gentle fixture list having left a sort of low-key feel in the Spanish capital. Back in late August, Real Betis had been the first opponent to visit. Following them were Shakhtar Donetsk, then Granada, then Malaga, then Levante, and most recently Las Palmas—not exactly a roll call of marquee guests for Chamartin.

Instead, all Real Madrid's notable outings this season had come on the road. They'd been away to San Mames and Athletic Bilbao, to the Vicente Calderon and Atletico Madrid, to Parc des Princes and PSG, to Balaidos and Celta Vigo. 

For those in Madrid, therefore, this was the night. A real occasion. At least, it was supposed to be. 

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"Real fail to convince," declared an underwhelmed Marca afterwards, the Madrid-based daily adding that the 1-0 victory was in fact a "miracle" thanks to a "large dollop of luck."

A miracle? Well, not quite.

But was there luck? Absolutely. 

For PSG, Angel Di Maria hit the bar, Adrien Rabiot hit the post, Zlatan Ibrahimovic went inches wide with Keylor Navas beaten and Edinson Cavani, well—he'll be reluctant to show his face in a Parisian cafe on Wednesday after missing a point-blank header and making an awful hash of a golden one-on-one chance against Navas. 

On another night, PSG could have easily left the Bernabeu with two or three goals—"that's the way football is," said manager Laurent Blanc—and yet, it wasn't just the quantity of their chances that was notable. 

In midfield, Thiago Motta controlled this game with ease; after replacing Marco Verratti, Rabiot was influential alongside him; down the left, Maxwell was a constant source of problems for Danilo; cutting inside from the right, Di Maria gave Nacho a torrid time despite the Spaniard's goal. 

Real Madrid won, yes, but it was PSG who dictated the terms. And for Benitez, that's the problem. 

Though doubts over Madrid's style under the new boss have refused to go away all season, until now there'd always been caveats for Benitez—elements that had brought other sides to the argument and afforded him leeway. 

Against La Liga's lightweights, some laboured performances could be excused even if they weren't satisfying, almost able to be written off as games in which Madrid simply did what they needed to. Points were secured, damage was avoided: There were bigger targets to eye. 

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Concurrently, some uncharacteristically conservative showings away from home were able to be viewed as progress when set against failures in corresponding occasions last season. At San Mames, Benitez's men took three points from where they'd last left with none; at the Calderon, they left with a point from a venue where they'd previously taken a battering. Taking four points from trips to Paris and Vigo was perfectly respectable as well. 

But Tuesday's uninspired display doesn't have a caveat. This was not a Real Madrid performance. 

On a glamorous European night, undefeated and playing at home, Madrid ceded possession to an outfit that's theoretically inferior and sat deep in a shape that wasn't at all like the 4-3-3 presented on paper. With wingers Jese and Isco pulled back, and Toni Kroos playing as a sort of roaming No. 10, the hosts' system functioned as a deep-lying 4-4-1-1 with Ronaldo completely isolated. 

On the road, that might be tolerated, but not here. What resulted was a Madrid that looked to absorb pressure. A Madrid that looked to play on the counter. A Madrid that lacked adventure. A Madrid that was overrun. 

A Madrid that played like the away team. 

"We played 10 times better than Real," said Di Maria after his return to the Bernabeu, having been the game's outstanding player by a distance. When Sergio Ramos was pressed on his team's performance, you sensed he might have agreed with his old team-mate: "We have a lot of food for thought," he said. 

That they do, Benitez more than most.