Sporting Gijon vs. Real Madrid: Winners and Losers from La Liga
Real Madrid were unable to start the reign of new manager Rafa Benitez with a win, as Sporting Gijon held them to a 0-0 draw.
Without striker Karim Benzema, Los Blancos drew a blank away at El Molinon in the first wave of La Liga matches.
Sporting—newly promoted back to the top flight—came closest to grabbing a goal through Antonio Sanabria's header that hit the bar and dropped down. It was ruled not to have crossed the line.
The result is an early blow for Benitez's Real squad, particularly as rivals Atletico Madrid and Barcelona both managed to carve out narrow wins.
As the dust settles on Sunday's game, Bleacher Report has picked out the winners and losers.
Winner: Sporting Gijon
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Sporting Gijon lost just two games last season in winning promotion from the Segunda Division behind champions Real Betis.
Abelardo Fernandez's side started the game against Real Madrid on Sunday in adventurous fashion, seemingly keen on taking on their star-studded opponents in an end-to-end battle.
However, after coming through some early scares unscathed, Sporting resorted to defending—and they did it superbly.
Their fans certainly enjoyed holding Real to a scoreless draw. However, per journalist Andy West on Twitter, they are always a lively bunch at El Molinon: "For anyone watching Real Madrid and impressed by the atmosphere...yes Sporting Gijon fans are always this loud. Probably best fans in Spain."
Loser: Real Madrid's Attackers
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It was a thoroughly miserable night for Real Madrid. According to Squawka Football on Twitter, they had 23 shots but failed to find the net with any of them.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a particularly frustrating time in front of goal.
The Portuguese missed a glorious chance in the second half to break the deadlock with a header from a left-wing cross, as he barely got anything on it when the net was at his mercy.
He also thought he should have had a penalty in the opening half, while a pair of free-kicks he attempted failed to even get beyond the wall.
Ronaldo wasn't alone in fluffing his lines, however. Gareth Bale rounded the goalkeeper in the first half but failed to find the net from a tight angle. He said himself afterward on Twitter that it was a "frustrating" night.
Winner: Karim Benzema
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Karim Benzema was not part of Real Madrid's squad on Sunday night. For that reason, he is a winner simply by doing nothing.
The absence of the French forward only led to further speculation on social media that he is set to leave the Spanish club.
Arsenal have been heavily rumoured to be his next destination, with Harry Pratt of the Daily Star reporting a Real insider said, "It’s up to Arsenal to fight for Karim with a big offer."
Perhaps, though, Los Blancos' hierarchy may think they should keep hold of Benzema after their expensive front line failed to score a goal at Sporting Gijon.
Loser: Real Madrid's Team Bus
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It was not just a troubling night for Real Madrid on the field.
Their team bus was the recipient of a makeover at the hands of some mischievous Sporting Gijon fans, who took the chance to add their own touch to the back of the vehicle by decorating it with Barcelona stickers.
The home side then proceeded to park the bus in front of their own goal during the second half of the match, standing firm against an onslaught from the visitors to pick up a point.
Winner: Luka Modric
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Luka Modric did his best to try to pick open the Sporting Gijon defence.
The Croatian midfielder completed 79 passes and created four chances for Real Madrid, according to stats tweeted by Squawka Football.
His best pass of the lot came in the opening half. He split open the home defence with a beautifully weighted ball to Gareth Bale, who rounded Sporting goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar but then hit the side netting from a tight angle.
Bleacher Report's very own Tim Collins made the case back in July that the former Tottenham player was the key to making Real Madrid tick as an attacking force: "Modric provides the rhythm. Modric is the rhythm."
Loser: Rafa Benitez
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Rafa Benitez was back managing in La Liga for the first time in over a decade.
Stints in England and Italy since his time at Valencia have broadened his footballing background, but now he is back in Spain charged with the job of winning trophies at Real Madrid.
His opening match did not quite go according to plan; though, it wasn't for a lack of trying.
He shuffled around his forwards to mix things up and brought on James Rodriguez and new recruit Mateo Kovacic from the bench in the second half.
After the 0-0 draw, Benitez said of the performance, per RMadridHome on Twitter, "We have lacked precision in our final ball."
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