In the Zone: Rafa Benítez on how Real Madrid's individual quality proved key
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
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UEFA Technical Observer Rafa Benítez draws a lesson from the high calibre of the goals scored at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday.
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"Overall, individual brilliance was key. Both teams were controlling each other and it was individuals who made the difference."
This was UEFA Technical Observer and UEFA Champions League-winning coach Rafa Benítez's summary of Tuesday's round of 16 encounter between Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu. It was a tight first-leg contest of few clear chances marked by the excellence of the three goals that were scored.
This analysis, brought to you by FedEx, will look at what made each strike special and will also explain the importance of 1v1 situations in football today.
Breaking down Rodrygo's breakthrough strike
To begin with Rodrygo's early goal for Real Madrid, home coach Carlo Ancelotti said that this was their attacking plan bearing immediate fruit. "The initial plan was to look on the outside, to Viníciús Júnior and Rodrygo, so they could face up in 1v1s and it worked well with the first move," he told reporters.
If that was the tactical aspect, the individual detail is worth considering too. According to Benítez, "it's great movement from Rodrygo, how he times the moment to go behind." As the video shows us, the Brazilian has already set off when Fede Valverde sends the ball down the wing.
By contrast, Atlético de Madrid full-back Javi Galán is not quite ready as he adjusts his body shape. "Rodrygo is ready to run," added Benítez, "so he has the advantage as he is already on the move."
As for Rodrgyo himself, the Player of the Match offered the following verdict when he told Movistar Plus: "It was a really nice move with Fede. He read my movement really well and put the ball in behind the defender. I was able to carry the ball inside and then smashed it in with my left. I do it a lot in training and it came off today."
Bolts from the blue: first Alvarez, then Brahim Díaz
If the first goal came from a piece of explosive forward play, what followed was a game with few such counterattacking thrills. Rather, it was cagey stuff and the goals that Julián Alvarez and Brahim Díaz added each came out of the blue. Like Rodrygo's, though, both resulted from a forward player getting the better of a 1v1 scenario, earning reward for the courage to be positive.
First, Atleti's equaliser, the wonderful curling effort which gave Alvarez his seventh goal of this Champions League campaign. As against Leverkusen, the Argentinian summoned a piece of brilliance single-handedly. "In games like this, it's where top players stand up and he got a goal out of nothing," said team-mate Marcos Llorente.
The video above replays the goal and, as noted by Benítez, Alvarez takes advantage of Eduardo Camavinga stepping in to try to win the ball, keeping hold of it and gaining space on the Frenchman as he steps inside and curls a perfectly precise effort past Thibaut Courtois.
Finally, we come to Brahim Díaz's winner, which arrived ten minutes into the second half. As we see in the video, Madrid's combination play brings Atleti out and creates space to explore but the rest is down to the scorer. "It's the ability of Brahim in tight spaces," said Benítez.
With his tricky footwork, the jinking Díaz gets the better of his 1v1 with centre-back José María Giménez, sending him off balance and opening up an avenue to come inside to finish. Praising the winger's technical gifts, Benítez added: "Emilio Butragueño used to do that too – he'd change direction quickly and then finish."
Key lesson – Working on 1v1 ability
According to Benítez, this trio of goals leads to one central coaching point. "It emphasises how important it is to improve players' dribbling ability and equally their ability to defend 1v1 situations as you have more of them," he said. "Because of teams wanting to press high in modern football, the game is going more and more to 1v1 situations where individual technique can make the difference, either when defending or attacking."
"The game is going more and more to 1v1 situations where individual technique can make the difference"
In the case of youth coaches, therefore, it is important to look to work on improving the following:
• Dribbling ability in attack so players can get past their opponents
• Defensive awareness of players when dealing with 1v1 scenarios
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