For many, the jury is still out on Zinedine Zidane. The argument remains that he has yet to prove himself as a coach at this level, despite winning the Champions League last season. But against Sporting CP on Wednesday night, his substitutions changed the course of the game for Real Madrid. Playing their first Champions League match since winning the trophy at San Siro on May 28, Madrid started slowly. Karim Benzema was back in the team, but still seemed short of full fitness and the whole team was strangely subdued. Cristiano Ronaldo, too, is still some way short of his peak condition after injury and Gareth Bale ended up with an injury. By contrast, Sporting were impressive. Despite losing both Joao Mario and Islam Slimani in the summer, the Lisbon side stood tall at the Santiago Bernabeu, attacking with pace and gusto as winger Gelson Martins proved a constant threat. And when they took the lead through Bruno Cesar after 47 minutes, it was what they deserved.
And 40 minutes later, they were still ahead - apparently heading for a famous victory. But Madrid have been here before many times and so often Los Blancos find a way back into the game - just as they had in the final of the Champions League in 2013-14 with Sergio Ramos' late leveller and again in the UEFA Super Cup last month with another last-minute equaliser from their captain. This time it was Ronaldo who produced a moment of magic to get Madrid back in it. The Portuguese brilliantly curled in a free-kick after 89 minutes to level the scores against the club where he had started his career. Minutes earlier, he had hit the post. And since the introduction of Alvaro Morata and Lucas Vazquez, Real had been pushing for the goal.
The two young Spanish forwards brought more urgency to Real and, even though it took time, and ultimately a free-kick from Ronaldo to draw level, their introduction had changed the game. Meanwhile, Zidane had also brought on James Rodriguez for the ineffective Toni Kroos and that too had helped Madrid. With 93 minutes on the clock, James picked out Morata and the Spain striker headed home to seal a dramatic win which was harsh on Sporting but once again showed Madrid's amazing knack of digging out results when all appears lost.
"Así, así, así gana el Madrid," sang the supporters. "That, that, that's how Madrid win." And they were right. They have done it so many times before. For an hour, not only had it seemed unlikely, but it would also have been undeserved. In the end, however, the final 30 minutes of pressure and persistence proved enough and the champions came through it with all three points. "We had 85 minutes with great tactical discipline and positional rigour," Sporting coach Jorge Jesus said afterwards. "Madrid had few chances, then came Ronaldo's free-kick. It is not easy. No other team will play here at Madrid as Sporting have." He may be right and that is why he has been tipped as a future Madrid coach.
For his part, Zidane said: "We suffered, but I'm happy because we came through with the win. With the changes, you always look for something more. The changes help you to bring something else. I'm happy with James, with Alvaro and with Lucas." Those three changed the course of the match for Madrid and, despite a poor performance for much of the night, Zidane takes credit for his substitutions. With 15 straight Liga wins behind him, an 11th Champions League trophy in the cabinet at the Bernabeu and a UEFA Super Cup added as well, he can continue to do no wrong.
