Real Madrid vs. Granada: Winners and Losers from La Liga Game
Karim Benzema scored in the second half as Real Madrid moved to the top of La Liga provisionally with a 1-0 victory at home to Granada on Saturday at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
The visitors impressed and had a goal disallowed controversially in the first half, but Real finally broke the deadlock in the 55th minute as Karim Benzema headed in an Isco cross. Granada continued to frustrate their hosts, but Real eventually saw out the win, much to manager Rafael Benitez's relief.
"Even missing four important players, we got [the] result in a difficult game and gave important minutes to other players,” Benitez said, according to ESPN's Dermot Corrigan.
With the result, Real moved into first place with 10 points from four matches. The Blancos still have not conceded a goal this season, having scored 12 of their own. Barcelona can reclaim the top spot with a victory over Levante on Sunday.
Here, B/R selects winners and losers from the match.
Winner and Loser: Isco
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Isco made a key contribution to his side with the assist on the winning goal. Collecting a pass on the left after Real took a free kick quickly, the Spaniard curled a fine cross to the back post, where Karim Benzema headed in.
No complaints there. That single creative spark helped Real Madrid finally break through Granada's stubborn resistance. But apart from that one moment, Isco did not influence the game the way Real needed.
On Twitter, beIN Sports' David Cartlidge noted: "Isco, assist aside, struggled today. Slow and sloppy in possession, easily shut down. Has to be more influential with James/Bale not around."
Cartlidge is right on all counts. With James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale injured, Real need more creativity and invention from players like Isco. The Spaniard produced one good moment, and it led to the winner, but he also missed a good chance of his own in the first half and made too many mistakes in midfield.
Winner: Keylor Navas
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Keylor Navas made a few key saves for Real Madrid and kept yet another clean sheet—his fifth of the season in all competitions. The Costa Rican has yet to concede a goal this campaign, which is great news for Real Madrid and coach Rafael Benitez.
In the 39th minute, Granada's Youssef El Arabi unlocked the defense with a brilliant angled pass to Isaac Success. The latter seemed destined to score, but Navas raced off his line to save. With his alert run, Navas made himself big and gave Success a tiny target at which to shoot.
The Real Madrid goalkeeper made another key stop in the 60th minute, when El Arabi created space for himself inside the box with impressive footwork. Again, Navas moved off his line to cut down the angle, resulting in another good save.
Thanks to Navas' alert goalkeeping, Real Madrid were able to hold on to a narrow victory against a lively Granada side. The Costa Rican has now gone 467 minutes since conceding a goal in La Liga.
Real will be hoping for more of the same in the coming weeks. Up next in the league for Benitez's men is a tough trip to Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday. Following a home game against Malaga next weekend, the Blancos will resume their Champions League campaign against Malmo at the Bernabeu.
To keep the points coming in, Benitez will be hoping to see continued brilliance from his Costa Rican keeper.
Loser: The Officiating on Granada's Disallowed Goal
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As noted in a previous slide, Granada impressed at the Bernabeu and actually had a goal ruled out controversially. The visitors started the match brightly and thought they had scored in the 20th minute as Youssef El Arabi put the ball in the back of the net.
The linesman raised his flag for offside, however, and the goal didn't count. But replays showed that while El Arabi was beyond the last defender, he was behind the ball, meaning he was onside. This tweet by Diario AS clearly shows it was the wrong decision.
It was a poor decision, and it's impossible to deny that the ruling had an effect on the game. Admittedly, Real Madrid had a clear penalty denied in the second half, but the entire match might have gone differently if Granada's early goal had stood.
Winner: Andres Fernandez
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Andres Fernandez was unable to stop Karim Benzema's winning goal, but the Granada goalkeeper had a good game nonetheless.
In the 19th minute, the Porto loanee stopped Cristiano Ronaldo one-on-one after the Real Madrid man had been played through on goal. And in the second half, he tipped Ronaldo's long-range effort around the post with a sprawling save.
On another day, Fernandez's strong goalkeeping might have been good enough to secure a win.
Winner: Granada
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Granada narrowly avoided relegation last season, remaining in Spain's top flight on goal difference alone. The side's miserable season reached a low point in a 9-1 loss at Real Madrid in April.
Saturday's rematch went as differently as one could imagine. This time, the visitors impressed from the start, hitting Real with dangerous attacks before retreating at pace to defend with admirable organization. The result turned out the same, but the performance was much improved.
Granada had a goal disallowed incorrectly but still nearly managed to claim a result at the Bernabeu. And in the process, they did keep Cristiano Ronaldo from scoring, which is something few defenses have done lately.
After last season's flirtation with relegation, Granada had an active summer in the transfer market. The arrivals included several of the players who featured on Saturday, including goalkeeper Andres Fernandez and midfielder Rene Krhin.
If Granada continue to play like they did Saturday, relegation shouldn't be a worry next spring.
