The Defining Moments of Real Madrid's La Liga Title Success
A five-year wait is over, and Real Madrid are finally kings of Spain once again; a 2-0 win at Malaga has ensured La Liga is theirs, and Los Blancos have lifted the trophy for the first time since 2012.
With Barcelona pushing Real all the way—the Blaugrana were top of the table only a week ago before Zinedine Zidane's team played their game in hand—the title race went to the wire; while the final telling 90 minutes came at La Rosaleda, there have been many key results and instances throughout the 2016/17 season that led Madrid to this point.
We've identified the most defining moments of the league season for Los Blancos, moments in time that captured the essence of how, and why, Real have become champions of Spain once again.
Opening Day, Flying Start
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The importance of starting the season well cannot be underestimated, nor should the contribution of certain players be forgotten 10 months on.
Zidane was without the likes of Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo when the season got under way, and a fair few others soon afterward as injuries struck at the beginning of the campaign.
A trip to Anoeta wasn't exactly a gimme, either, but Gareth Bale and Co. ensured there were no stutters or slip-ups without their key team-mates.
Just a couple of minutes into the campaign, Bale scored off Dani Carvajal's cross, while Marco Asensio was emphatically brilliant throughout the game—and, indeed, the first month or so.
None of the trio have been regulars at the back end of the season for a variety of reasons, but they were all there when Madrid needed them right at the beginning.
Bouncing Back at Betis in October
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Real Madrid were unbeaten in their opening 16 league games of the season, but this is Real Madrid—that doesn't mean there weren't headlines of crises, questions over players and manager and mutterings that all was not well.
The groundswell of opposition peaked in October, when Zidane's team had the temerity to only draw four matches in succession, three of which came in La Liga.
Villarreal, Las Palmas and Eibar had all held Real, but when the next game came along and the pressure was mounting, they released the valve in style.
Real Betis were the poor opponents who were steamrollered, a 6-1 thumping being the biggest scoreline of the season at that point and Zidane's side firmly putting any questions of poor focus or attitude to one side.
It was already 4-0 at the break, and Real were relentless, showing the clinical edge that had been missing previously.
Back on track, in style.
Cristiano in the Calderon
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Teams come and go in La Liga, challenging in the top four or for an isolated title perhaps, but there are three mainstays at the top in the modern era: Barca, Real and Atletico Madrid. While El Clasico is one everybody looks for on the global scale, in the city of Madrid itself, El Derbi remains of pivotal importance and pride.
This season, perhaps that applied more than ever; the Vicente Calderon is due to close, with Atleti moving to their new ground for 2017/18 season. A final goodbye in style for Los Rojiblancos, perhaps, against the neighbours?
Not a chance.
With Cristiano Ronaldo deployed as a central striker, Real produced their best overall performance of the season at that point, hunting in packs to win the ball, being resolute at the back and utterly unstoppable in the final third.
The No. 7 notched himself a hat-trick on enemy soil—something he'd repeat later in the year in the UEFA Champions League—and Real spoiled the party big time.
Sergio "90+3" Ramos
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While the big matches and positive scorelines are naturally important for a title push, it's often suggested that contenders to win the league must show a greater resolve and ability to find solutions when things are looking most bleak: when defeat is close, points are set to be dropped, and yet, somehow, they still emerge triumphant.
In December, Real Madrid faced such a problem and emerged triumphant, largely thanks to their captain, Sergio Ramos.
The defender has had some interesting performances in a defensive sense this season, but he hit double figures for goals scored across all competitions, with two of particular importance in back-to-back games against Barcelona and Deportivo La Coruna.
A goal down in El Clasico, Ramos handed Madrid a point—and stopped Barca earning a three-point lift over his own team in the process—with an injury-time equaliser.
One week later, Real were 2-1 down with five minutes to play against Depor; substitute Mariano Diaz levelled matters before Ramos popped up again in stoppage time to snatch victory and keep Real flying.
Comebacks at La Ceramica and the Bernabeu
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Late goals have been a theme of Real Madrid's season, and that theme has continued past the turn of the year into 2017.
Between February and March alone, Los Blancos scored six times in or after the 80th minute in La Liga, an incredible testament to their resilience and willingness to go until the last.
On occasions, of course, they were additional goals in already comfortable victories, but that ability to keep going until the final whistle sometimes proves far more valuable.
Take the game at Villarreal: a good side, a tough opponent, but a match that would be seen as points dropped nonetheless—until Zidane's team turned on the style to come from 2-0 down in the last 25 minutes, with Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Alvaro Morata all scoring to turn zero points into three.
Just three days later, at home to Las Palmas—who were playing well at the time—Real were 3-1 down with just five minutes to play. Ronaldo hit two, and a point was rescued.
From two defeats to rescuing four points in four days, thanks to late comebacks. Given how close the title race was, it's evident that Real's ability to keep pushing has been nothing short of critical.
Isco to the Fore
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Zidane has habitually picked a first XI in 2016/17, referring back to the same players for most games, only rotating when necessity or perceived opportunity forces his hand.
It means there's a clear hierarchy in the side, but it also shows that a second group of players have to be trusted to perform to their maximum and not let points slip against lower opposition when the team is rotated.
Thanks largely to Isco, Real Madrid's star of the final third of the season, that's exactly what happened at Sporting Gijon in April.
With the likes of Kiko Casilla, Marco Asensio, Lucas Vazquez and Fabio Coentrao all handed increasingly rare starts, Sporting twice took the lead at El Molinon—but a fantastic individual performance from the Spanish playmaker ensured the points went the way of Madrid.
Isco scored twice, the second coming in the final minute of the game (yet again), and that display was arguably the springboard for him to take the place of the injured Bale and win himself a regular spot in the run-in toward the title and the latter stages of the Champions League.
Game in Hand, Finally Ticked off
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Defeat for Real in El Clasico meant Barcelona leapfrogged Los Blancos toward the end of the season, but only because Zidane's side had played a game less: a postponed fixture at Celta Vigo after inclement weather conditions blew off part of the Balaidos stadium roof.
With both Real and Celta going far into their respective European competitions, the rearranged fixture had to wait until mid-May to be played, the penultimate game of the season for both.
The stakes could hardly have been higher for Madrid, who needed four points from their final two games to seal the title. A slip-up and defeat at Europa League semi-finalists Celta would have meant Barca could win the league instead, by virtue of head-to-head against Madrid following the turnaround in El Clasico three weeks earlier.
But the mentality of Madrid, the strength and perseverance they have shown all season long, would not be denied.
Ronaldo, Benzema and Toni Kroos all scored and, even if the 4-1 scoreline flattered Madrid, it was a huge step toward the title and an all-round performance that highlighted just how they had put themselves in the driving seat for most of the season.
There'd be no stopping them on the final day of the campaign, and, finally, the Santiago Bernabeu is once again the home of the trophy of La Liga.
