Diaz Scores As Real Madrid Get Off Champs League Defence In Style

Diaz Scores As Real Madrid Get Off Champs League Defence In Style

By Joshua Walters

Real Madrid's new number seven, Mariano Diaz, scored as the champions got off their Champions League defence to a good start with a 3-0 win over AS Roma at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium on Wednesday.

Isco opened the floodgate in the 45th minute when he curled in a free kick from 20 yards out over the human wall to complete a first-half of total dominance from the hosts.

Gareth Bale had missed the post narrowly from a one-on-one situation with Roma goalkeeper Robin Olson in the 4th minute, and Benzema headed the ball into Marcelo’s path in the 16th minute but saw the Brazilian power a shot off target.

Sergio Ramos received the yellow card for a bad tackle in the 26th minute, and Keylor Navas pulled up a great save to Steven Nzonzi’s rebound shot in the 30th minute to deny the visitors from hitting the net in the first half of the game.

Olsen denied Luka Modric from hitting home with a feeble shot in the 55th minute, and the latter provided Bale with a through pass three minutes later, which the Wales captain smashed into the left corner of the post.

Benzema picked up an injury and was replaced by Marco Asensio two minutes after the hour mark, and Eusebio Di Francesco responded for Roma by pulling out Stephan El Shaarawy with Diego Perotti.

Di Francesco substituted Steven Nzonzi with Patrick Schick in the 69th minute, and Julien Lopetugui brought on Madrid academy, Mariano Diaz, who they sold to Olympique Lyon but bought back this summer to take over the club's iconic number-seven, for Gareth Bale in the 73rd minute.

Marco Asensio was denied by Olsen in the 73rd minute, and Modric was replaced by Daniel Ceballos in the 85th minute.

Diaz completed the rout for Madrid in the 90th minute by feeding on a pass Marcelo's pass from outside the penalty box and turning in Alessandro Florenzi before curling a shot into the top corner of the far post of the fruitlessly diving Olson.