Real Madrid should build their future team around Vinicius Junior and Eduardo Camavinga
Real Madrid drew 1-1 with Manchester City in an entertaining first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinal at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Tuesday, May 9. Vinicius Junior put Real ahead with a wonderful strike in the first half, but Kevin De Bruyne equalized in the second with an equally brilliant one.
The second leg should be very absorbing one, with Manchester City a bit more likely to go through at their home ground. However, Real Madrid, the most successful club in world football, will take heart from the fact that two of their young players, Vinicius and Eduardo Camavinga, performed really well.
With the likes of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos being in their twilight years, Real Madrid can think of building their team around those two youngsters in the near future.
Vinicius once again proved his worth for Real Madrid
Vinicius was the most important component of Real Madrid’s attacks yet again for the home side on Tuesday. He gave Kyle Walker a torrid time throughout the match and ensured that John Stones had to drop back to play as a centre-back for the majority of the time when Real Madrid had the ball.
However, neither Stones nor Walker could prevent the 22-year-old Brazilian winger from scoring his 23rd goal of the season. Vinicius had enough time to take the shot through the inside-left channel to leave Ederson stunned.
He kept troubling the Manchester City defense even after scoring the goal. Had Rodrygo been able to exert the same kind of influence through the right, Real could have scored more goals.
Camavinga was probably the best player for Los Blancos
Despite Vinicius’ heroics, the Brazilian was still probably the second-best player for Real Madrid on the night. Camavinga, the precocious 20-year-old Frenchman, who gave a good account of himself after coming on as a substitute in the 2022 World Cup final, was probably Real’s best player against City.
Camavinga weathered a storm for the initial 20 minutes or so, when Bernardo Silva launched a number of attacks through the right for Manchester City. However, as Real started having more numbers in the opposition half gradually, Camavinga played an important role in their attacks, too.
It was his solo run with the ball from inside his own half that led to Real’s goal. He then started to switch into the midfield frequently in the second half, with Modric giving him cover on the left. In fact, Real looked more threatening when Nacho replaced Modric to play as the left-back, which allowed Camavinga to play extensively as a central midfielder.
The young Frenchman, however, was partially responsible for City’s equalizer, as Rodri intercepted his pass to retain possession and then play the ball to Ilkay Gundogan, who registered an assist. That was probably the only blemish in an otherwise great night for him.