Everything goes as planned in the mind of Vini
The script is beginning to be the usual one: Real Madrid begins to channel their victories, either by getting ahead on the scoreboard or coming back after having previously conceded, with a goal from Vinicius. This was also the case against Espanyol, a duel in which the Catalan team took the lead thanks to Joselu’s initial goal and found their equalizer in the right hand of the Brazilian, who traced the first goal he scored at Anfield, against Liverpool in the first leg of Champions League round of 16: from the left peak of the rival area, slalom, feint and kick to the far post. The first stone of the white triumph, which Militao and Asensio later finished building.
Opening the score-line, always
Vinicius has been the can-opener for Real Madrid, this season in which Benzema, between injury and injury, fails to find his best level, the one he showed last season with 44 goals in 46 games. Despite this, both attackers are not far behind in figures: Vinicius has 19 goals, compared to 18 for the Frenchman. But the difference is being made by the Brazilian with the timing: he has scored Real Madrid’s first goal 11 times out of the 19 times he has seen the net. In the case of Benzema, it has been 7 out of 18. Vini danced first against Celtic, Leipzig, Liverpool, Al Ahly, Al Hilal, Espanyol (twice), Betis, Osasuna, Girona and Villarreal. Goals from which Madrid took advantage: they won eight of those times, with two draws and one defeat (against Leipzig, without importance for Madrid’s classification as first group in the Champions League).