Sergio Ramos' 100th Career Goal Powers Real Madrid Past Leganes in Copa del Rey

Real Madrid took a big step toward the next round of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, beating Real Leganes in the first leg of the round of 16 at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. Sergio Ramos opened the scoring and Lucas Vazquez and Vinicius Jr. added to the 3-0 win.

Leganes were the better side early and had their chances to take the lead but Ramos converted a penalty just before half-time after a foul on Alvaro Odriozola. 

The goal was a special one, the 100th of his career:

Los Blancos pushed for a second after the break and found it through Vazquez, courtesy of some dreadful defending. Leganes collapsed late, and Vinicius also got on the scoresheet. Brahim Diaz also made his official debut, coming on with just over 10 minutes left.

The two teams will meet again on January 16.

Solari's Handling of Isco Situation Sums Up Real's Dreadful Season

Real Madrid manager Santiago Solari made a host of changes to his side for this fixture, the first leg of a cup tie that at least on paper looked like an easy affair. With the La Liga title race running away from Los Blancos and the Champions League seen as far more important than the Copa, it made no sense for the European champions to risk their pivotal players.

But, despite the rotations, there once again was no space for Isco in the starting XI. And as shared by AS, the former Malaga man didn't take too kindly to his snub:

This is the same Isco who has professed his love for the team for years despite persistent transfer speculation. The same Isco who said he wasn't going anywhere little over a week ago, per Deportes Cuatro (h/t Marca).

It's fair to question the Spain international's fit in Solari's system, something La Liga writer Dermot Corrigan did when he made the comparison to Philippe Coutinho of Barcelona:

But Real have completely messed up this situation even if they didn't have any long-term plans for the player. A longtime fan-favourite, Isco is no longer hiding his discontent, likely lowering his transfer value along the way.

And it's not as though Madrid couldn't have used his creativity in the first half on Wednesday. Until Ramos converted from the penalty spot, Leganes were the better side, earning a handful of great looks on goal against the cross-city giants.

This season has been a disaster so far for Real, with an early coaching change, a complete lack of scoring and now a disgruntled fan-favourite with a plummeting value wasting away on the bench. Isco's situation and Solari's handling of it sum up the 2018-19 campaign so far for Real, and things could get far worse in the coming weeks:

A departure of either Isco or Solari at some point this season seems inevitable.

Navas Should be Among Summer Transfer Window's Crown Jewels

Thibaut Courtois has been in solid form for Real of late after a poor start to the season, but Keylor Navas reminded everyone of his quality with a handful of great saves on Wednesday.

Perhaps his best came when the game was still scoreless, as the Costa Rican produced a stunning stop to deny Martin Braithwaite. Robbie Dunne of AS was impressed:

Navas turned 32 years old in December and is still one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He's too good to spend as much time on the bench as he does, but he's stuck behind the current The Best FIFA Goalkeeper of the year. Courtois has been one of the few positives for Real of late, and they're not going to cut back his minutes.

Clubs looking for an immediate upgrade at the position should not shy away from his age or his status as a backup this summer. Navas could prove to be a major steal for a handful of clubs who need help immediately or even those who have a good goalkeeper but recognise him as an elite stopper.

That list could include Arsenal, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund and even Paris Saint-Germain―depending on how Gianluigi Buffon's form progresses in the second half of the season―and all those teams should aggressively target the Real backup in the summer.

What's Next?

Los Blancos visit Real Betis on Sunday, while Leganes host Huesca on Saturday in La Liga action.