Madrid
The 'Galactics' are back! Between heavy sanitary context and anti-racist claim, the Real Madrid stars dominated Eibar Sunday evening 3-1 behind closed doors for the 28th day of Liga after three months of forced arrest, and thus respond to the leader FC Barcelona.
The images of this great comeback from Real will be remembered: the arrival of the players on foot at the Alfredo Di Stefano stadium, the masked, gloved and distanced substitutes, but above all the Brazilian side Marcelo knee on the ground, head down and fist raised afterwards his goal (37th), in tribute to George Floyd and the fight against racism.
After the photo of the Valencia CF players on June 9, Marcelo's claim is the first demonstration of support for the "Black Lives Matter" movement carried out in the midst of the Liga match since the resumption of competition on June 12 in Seville.
The Brazilian himself posted a photo in support of the fight against racism on his social networks on June 2.
Before this striking image of a player of the club generating the most income in the world who testifies in a world window his support for the movement "Black Lives Matter", it is to the victims of the epidemic of coronavirus that he was paid tribute.
"In our hearts", displayed a large banner deployed in the stands of the small Di Stefano stadium (6,000 seats) behind closed doors. The players also played the game with a black armband and dedicated a minute of silence to the victims before kick-off.
Earlier this Sunday, the two captains of Atlético Madrid and Athletic Bilbao Koke and Iker Muniain laid a wreath in the stands in memory of the deceased.
In a Spain very bereaved by the pandemic, with 243,928 cases and 27,136 coronavirus deaths deplored according to the last figures on Sunday, the players and the staffs strictly respected the LaLiga safety protocol.
Those of Real Madrid, all protected behind the official mask of the club, made their way to the Di Stefano stadium on foot from the residence of their training center in Valdebebas where they previously met, while those of Eibar arrived in two separate buses, as required by health standards.
Comfortable seats have been installed among the folding seats of the small terraces of the Di Stefano for gloved, masked substitutes, separated from several seats to avoid any risk.
On the pitch, the good news has multiplied for Zidane, which was the 200th game on the Real bench.
Thanks to the three goals of Toni Kroos (3rd), of captain Sergio Ramos (30th), served on a plate by an Eden Hazard holder for his first match since his operation of the fibula right at the beginning of March, and of Marcelo (37th) before the reduction of the score of Pedro Bigas (60th), the Madrilenians gave the reply to Barça, brilliant winner of Mallorca the day before (4-0), and stick together two points behind the leader.
Only downside: Eden Hazard was replaced by Vinicius at the 61st, and immediately placed an ice pack on his right ankle, visibly sore.
"He played well for an hour, the shot (he received during the match) scared us, but at half time he told us he was fine. He is happy with what he produced, and we too are very happy with his work, "commented" Zizou "about the Belgian in a post-match press conference.
An alert reminiscent of the bad evening of February 22 when Hazard had relapsed from his broken ankle in Levante, but which does not taint Zidane's joy: "The message, really, is that we are happy to come back to the competition, "savored the technician after the match.
A feeling contrary to that of Diego Simeone and Atlético who, earlier in the evening this Sunday in Bilbao, was the first big Spanish team to miss their comeback, hung 1-1, like Real Sociedad by Osasuna at the end of this 28th day.
The Basques opened the scoring with a nice deflection of the right foot of Iker Muniain, served by ex-Parisian Yuri Berchiche (35th). But Diego Costa responded within a minute and dedicated his goal to Virginia Torrecilla, Spanish international for female Atlético operated on for a brain tumor at the end of May, to allow Atlético (46 pts), who stagnated in 6th place of the Spanish Championship, to resist the limit of European places.
